The Taman in the Shud
by asc12
Summary: Booth & Brennan are busy with a bone case causing Sweets & Cam begin to investigate a very strange case of a man with no identity, no past, no cause of death but plenty of clues and a historical significance
1. Chapter 1

The Taman in the Shud

By ASC12

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><p><em>Anyone a history buff? Going to try a couple of different approaches in this one…<em>

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><p>TimeTakes Place: Season 9 after the Swim Coach guy is killed

1.

_Flesh, I haven't seen so much flesh in a while, _Cam mulled over the reality in her mind as she focused on the corpse found lying on the earth of East Potomac Park. She was trying to focus on the body as much as possible but the activity around her was making it difficult. Familiar footsteps approached and while she felt a barrage of questions coming on, she welcomed the company.

Without looking up Cam addressed her visitor. "Good morning Dr. Sweets, and how are you this morning?"

Cam didn't have to look up to tell how excited Sweets was to be leading a case again. The last time he had worked with Dr. Brennan and they found the swim coach's killer.

"It is a lovely morning Dr. Soroyan." Sweets said crouching down to see the man she was looking at. "What do we have?"

"We have Dr. Brennan and Booth busy working on another case full of skeletal remains." She said examining the deceased. "We have a male, Caucasian, mid-forties, cause of death unknown."

Sweets looked around and at the water front and serene area around them then back at the man lying dead in the grass, his feet pointing towards the water.

"Why do you suppose we were called to this scene?" Sweets asked and Cam could feel the questions begin.

"I'm not sure Dr. Sweets, but when I'm called I show up to process and work." Cam said continuing to work away.

"Yeah, but this hardly seems unique, certainly questionable for the Jeffersonian to be involved." Sweets hadn't meant it to be an insult but Cam still took it as one and offered an expression summing such a feeling up.

Sweets sighed inwardly. "That's not what I meant Dr. Soroyan, it was a compliment, I was suggesting your time was far more valuable than what a county mortician can do or local detective."

Cam didn't generally question when her superiors asked her to do work, but she had thought of the same questions Dr. Sweets had just voiced. She wasn't sure how to answer so she continued to work and Sweets added a pair of rubber gloves to investigate as well.

"As I mentioned there are no apparent signs of death. I'll perform an autopsy when I get back to the lab." Cam said as Sweets sifted thru the man's pockets.

"I was told that he had no ID on him. Mugged perhaps?" Sweets mused but looked the man over, if he was mugged he showed no signs of being roughed up. His suit was in excellent condition. "Though if he was mugged he simply seemed to have handed over his wallet, laid down on the grass and died. What was the time of death?"

"I would estimate about 2 a.m." Cam said. "It's not even nine now, when was he found?"

"Yeah, this area is pretty busy, a passing jogger called him in as soon as it got light out about 6:30 a.m." Sweets said sharing what he knew. Sweets couldn't suppress the fact that something about all this felt strange.

Sweets took the cigarette that was balanced on the man's ear and smelled it. Cam smiled at his 'detective work.'

"What?" Sweets asked at her smirk.

"Is that some fancy detective work?" She asked.

"Well you smell it then." Sweets said holding it out but Cam backed away. Sweets rolled his eyes. "I noticed the smell, it's not a regular cigarette, it's not marijuana either."

Cam was curious and leaned in now to smell it. "It does smell different. It's pretty big too."

"Yeah it's a Club cigarette." Sweets said.

"How do you know that?" Cam asked impressed.

Sweets smiled and pointed. "It's written right here."

Cam rolled her eyes this time.

"I don't know a lot about cigarettes, but I've never heard of these." Sweets said and Cam agreed, both knew Hodgins could work some computer analysis magic as Sweets bagged it in an evidence bag.

"Ah, here's another one." Cam said removing a half smoked cigarette from his right collar, held in place by his cheek. Cam bagged the additional evidence.

"Plane ticket, for tomorrow." Sweets said removing an envelope from the man's breast pocket.

"Ticket but no wallet." Cam said. "That's going to make travel difficult."

"But there's also a used bus ticket here too." Sweets said.

"Anything else?" Cam asked.

"Half a pack of Juicy Fruit chewing gum, a comb, box of matches." Sweets said looking at the used box. _Who uses matches? _He wondered to himself as he bagged the items.

"Well I've found about all I can here." Cam said motioning for the techs to come and collect the body.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how many more people there are to question." Sweets said standing and looking around at the area that a few hours ago was most likely quiet but now buzzed with activity.

"I'll work on the autopsy." Cam said and Sweets nodded, each seemed to wonder if this was how Booth & Brennan did things. "I'll let you know my findings." Cam said finding it strange to say to Sweets, Sweets finding it strange to hear from Cam, generally both were on the sidelines to a discussion and puns between Booth and Brennan.

"Okay then." They both said and make an awkward exit.

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><p>Sweets collected a few more statements but found nothing unusual about the man or his sudden appearance. Still, Sweets couldn't figure out why the FBI and Jeffersonian were to be involved in this case.<p>

A few hours later Dr. Soroyan would be doing something she had never expected before, waiting impatiently for Dr. Sweets to arrive at the Jeffersonian, for she now had _far _more questions than answers.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

_Sorry the first chapter was short but I was running out of time and I wanted to get it started because it's easier to add to it once it's created on FF._

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><p>The notion and sensation of lunch had eluded Sweets who went from intrigued database searches to downright perplexed. When Sweets first got back to the office he was initially more interested in questioning why the FBI and Jeffersonian were heading up the case than the case itself. At first he questioned if it were a test of his skills as an agent who was leading a case but it seemed like a pretty hefty expense and one he doubted. His suspicions were unable to be cleared when he was unable to find anyone who could answer his questions about who assigned it. Sweets turned to the one person he knew he could talk to and trust.<p>

"Not now Sweets I'm busy." Booth answered crushing Sweets notion of trust and a readily available ear.

"Booth! Quick question!" Sweets pleaded and the agent gave a heavy sigh.

"Okay, quick alright, Bones and I are about to question a suspect, I'm pretty sure he's the one responsible for the last five bodies we've found." Booth sounded tired from working long hours and chasing leads. Suddenly Sweets question sounded slightly less important than when he first called.

"You know what, uh, never mind." Sweets said and he could hear the agent's burly and unpleased sigh radiate over the phone. "It's just a case I'm working on, but you know it's fine, I'm sure it's all good."

Booth's tone softened. "Well are you sure Sweets, I don't want you getting in over your head."

Sweets tried to take that as a friendly gesture and not that he was an incapable idiot

"No, it's just a dead guy, no ID, but we'll get him." Sweets said trying to sound confident and capable.

"Okay, well if you need us…" Booth's tone was that of helpful but Sweets couldn't help but feel like he was asking a big brother to walk thru a dark house with him. "No! Uh, I mean, no, it's fine. I was just curious about some chain of command stuff but I see the person I was looking for now so I'm good, if you need a profile or something…"

"Thanks Sweets, I think we got them ourselves this time." Booth hung up and Sweets tried to knock the chip from his shoulder at the overall feeling of the conversation. _Well I don't need you either! _Sweets said to himself and ignored how childish it sounded. But one thing he found himself sure of, he was going to solve this case and then they'd see he could do it.

That brought Sweets back to the present when he got off the phone with Booth, Angela called. She was surprised to not find the guy's prints in the database, but if he had never been fingerprinted as a kid or arrested he may not be. Still Sweets found that interesting based on the fact that the man also had no ID. Angela was going to run dentals which gave Sweets time to dig thru the FBI database to search for any other crimes in that area. He found none around the time Angela called back to say that the facial scan and dental database also turned up no results and that though Aristo was sure there was no sign of tooth decay, the man had extensive dental work done.

Sweets felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, _why does someone have unnecessary dental work done? A fetish? _That didn't seem likely so Sweets continued to dig and received a call.

"Sweets here." Sweets answered slightly absentmindedly.

"Is this the agent from the scene?" A woman with a bedroom voice asked. Sweets was intrigued. Things with Daisy had ended, Jessica Warren fizzled and Sweets was restless and now a bit intrigued.

"Yes, this is he." Sweets answered trying to sound professional.

"I have some information about the man who was….was found this morning." Sweets detected the hesitant sound in her voice, _remorse for killing him? For not doing something? _Sweets ran scenarios thru his mind.

"Did you know the man?" Sweets asked.

"No." She said but Sweets suspected that was a lie. He couldn't see her expressions over the phone but he could sense she was hiding something, but she seemed eager to talk. "No, I didn't…" she sighed. "He was there at midnight, waiting. I saw him waiting. He was smoking a cigarette."

"Okay, what were you doing at the scene?" Sweets asked. "And why didn't you want to mention anything sooner."

"Genevieve?" A voice asked in the background and quickly the woman hung up. Sweets quickly called IT and traced the call, five minutes later he had the information, a burner cell.

Sweets wondered briefly is this was some sort of prank on a new agent but a man was dead, and there was nothing funny about that. Sweets ran the name Genevieve but naturally found a lot of information with no visible connection to the case so far. Sweets was feeling frustrated, he had only been on the case a few hours and he knew it was too soon, but still he felt like he wasn't in the loop on something.

It wasn't until Sweets looked at one of the crime scene photos that he felt a chill, a few feet from the deceased was a statue, Generaux Louis Genevieve IV. _That's a hell of coincidence. _Sweets said to himself.

His phone rang again, this time it was Cam, she wanted him at the Jeffersonian, ASAP. The tone of her voice suggested he get there like, yesterday.

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><p>"So what's…." Sweets said but stalled when the interest in him was with troubled eyes that belonged to Cam &amp; Aristo. "Everything okay with you guys?" Sweets asked but he got his answer when the pair looked embarrassed.<p>

"No, Dr. Sweets I assure you we are fine." Cam explained. "As a couple. I mean, not that we…" Cam was clearly now confused in what she wanted to say. Aristo motioned for her to calm down.

"Thank you for asking Dr. Sweets, we are fine but we are quite puzzled with what we have found. Perhaps we can bring you up to speed." Aristo suggested and Sweets nodded now that his interest was greatly amplified.

Cam felt Aristo was doing a better job of speaking than herself so she motioned for him to continue. "Yes, well I was going over the man's belongings, which you know since you collected the evidence but his clothes, they are another story."

"Okay, how's that?" Sweets asked leaning in closer to the table to view the apparel which had been laid out for inspection.

"The clothing are all of a very high quality, the shirt is one hundred percent silk, as is the tie, each item, top of the line." Aristo explained.

"Okay, so if they're top of the line that may not be very many stores we could find out if he matches any of their customers…" Sweets stopped talking when Aristo began shaking his head.

"All of the tags have been removed from the clothes." He explained.

"Like they were handmade?" Sweets asked.

"No, you can see here…" Aristo said holding up the button down shirt at the neckline. "You can see where a tag was but in each one the tags have been removed."

"Why?" Cam asked searching the profiler for an explanation.

"Well it could be that he liked the clothes but he didn't want to be defined by designer labels." Sweets knew it was weak so he voiced his other option. "Or he didn't want anyone to be able to track where he bought them from."

"Well I'd like to say that's where it stops getting weird." Cam said with a nervousness. "But we're only getting started."

"You'll notice the heavy perspiration on the shirt." Aristo pointed out.

"Yeah it was pretty warm last night, fall hasn't quite set in yet." Sweets observed.

"Which leads a person to wonder why he was wearing an undershirt, a button down shirt, a sweater vest and double breasted jacket completely buttoned up." Cam said motioning to the clothes.

Sweets didn't have an explanation for that. "Cold blooded?" He suggested.

"Cold blooded and shivering while perspiring?" Aristo asked pointing to the sweat stains.

"This shirt also has cufflinks." Cam pointed out. "One is missing. I've sent Hodgins back to the scene to make sure it isn't in the grass somewhere."

"That seems awful thorough." Sweets said wondering why Cam placed so much importance in the man's accessories.

Cam resisted an urge to roll her eyes. "This man is meticulous in everything about how he dresses, look at the pleat in his pants, the perfect press of his pocket hankie. He didn't just forget one cufflink. And besides…" She said pointing to the one remaining. "It has a letter on it."

Sweets noticed what she saw, the cufflink with the "S" on it and with a missing identity, that could be essential in finding the man.

"The other could be his other initial." Sweets deduced and Cam nodded.

"Let's hope."

"No such luck." Hodgins said walking in the door and setting down his case. Cam let out a silent groan of defeat but Sweets noticed it. "I went to comb the whole area but it was the weirdest thing…"

Sweets felt those hairs on his neck stand up again.

"There were a few guys there laying down some sod. I asked why and they said because of the body that had been there, they suspected an infestation. They took the dirt right out and laid in new. I haven't seen that before." Hodgins said while Cam couldn't help but notice the look on Sweets face.

"What is it Dr. Sweets?"

Sweets rubbed his head, _why couldn't the first case all on my own without Booth OR Brennan be something easy? _Instead he sighed and voiced his thoughts. "Okay, so a guy's found dead and before anyone knows anything the FBI and Jeffersonian are called in to investigate. When we do we find the guy is practically a ghost, and when we go back for evidence, it's being removed? Doesn't this seem strange to anyone?"

"Um yea!" Hodgins said salivating at the sound of a conspiracy.

"Heel Dr. Hodgins." Cam warned him. "Please tell me you're not siding with Dr. Hodgins on this." Cam asked Sweets, a strong plea in her voice, she couldn't handle a conspiracy.

"No, I don't think it's some big thing but I think something is up." Sweets thought back to his phone call earlier. "Someone _wants _us to find out what happened to this guy."

"Well I don't know if this will help but I've got one more for you." Hodgins said going to retrieve some evidence. "Before I left to try and find that cufflink I ran that cigarette you found." Hodgins tapped on the screen. "It's a Club cigarettes, once known as Kensitas Club is only available in the king variety. It has 10mg of carbon monoxide, 10mg of tar and 0.8mg of nicotine, it doesn't come in lights and it doesn't come filtered."

"So they are not easy to come by?" Cam asked.

"Only in the United Kingdom." Hodgins explained.

"So when was our victim in the UK?" Aristo asked.

"How did he get here?" Cam asked.

"What the hell is going on?" Sweets asked and realized it wasn't in his head like he meant for that question to be.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

_So I went to hit "control I" last night to italicize a word when 'poof' it all disappeared and recovery doc wouldn't work. But finally I found it and whew, what a relief as chapter 2 returned. If you like B&B that's great but they will not be in the story much and there's literally thousands of stories that are. The 'different' I was referring to was this story being based around a Cam/Sweets partnership. I also thought it would be interesting to write a FF based on a real crime. This is based off one from 1948, still unsolved to this day, the victim's identity was never found.. I've kept most of the original facts but had to adjust the setting and a few minor things._

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><p><strong>Recap: Cam &amp; Sweets are curious why the FBI &amp; Jeffersonian are pulled in to investigate what first appears to be a very routine case. However they continue their work routinely until strange facts begin to emerge, for one the man's fingerprints do not match any database but he's also had dental work done -unnecessary dental work, leaving the dentals without an ability to match. Sweets receives a strange phone call from a "Genevieve" only to find a statue in the background of one of the photos to a French General of the same name. Sweets arrives at the Jeffersonian where Cam &amp; Aristo explain that the man's clothes - all of high quality - have no tags, they have been removed. For a warm evening, the man was dressed in several layers, buttoned up. One of his cufflinks is missing, one with the initial "S" on it. Hodgins returns from trying to retrieve it but the area where the body was found is already being resodded. Hodgins wants to scream conspiracy but Cam &amp; Sweets are keeping a level head. The cigarettes found on the man are unique to the UK.<strong>

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><p>"For having a bunch of clues we sure aren't getting very far." Sweets said eying the table full of bus tickets, plane tickets, unique cigarettes, matches and other assorted things.<p>

"I had Angela run these bus and plane vouchers. The bus voucher was used from Arlington to here but they're not required to register a passenger with a voucher like this. The plane ticket is another voucher, to be registered once the person arrived at the airport, so we have no way to trace him there either." Cam said as the afternoon sun began to set in the windows outside. It was now just her and Sweets there while Aristo was sorting thru some fragments in the bone room for Dr. Brennan's case.

"What about the autopsy?" Sweets asked and Cam snapped her fingers at remembering the important facts.

"Yes, that's well, it's not going to help much." Cam said opening the file and handing it to Sweets who read thru a lot of mumbo jumbo and hoped Cam would just give him the highlights while he pretended to read it. "I found no cause of death."

"Really?" Sweets asked surprised.

"The autopsy revealed the man's last meal was a pastry he ate about three to four hours before he died. I asked Dr. Hodgins to run tests but he said he found no foreign substance in the body. The heart was normal, nothing strange in the brain suggesting a heart attack or stroke. There was congestion of the pharynx, and the gullet was covered with whitening of superficial layers of the mucosa with a patch of ulceration in the middle of it. The stomach was deeply congested with congestion in the 2nd half of the duodenum. There was blood mixed with the food in the stomach. Both kidneys were congested, and the liver contained a great excess of blood in its vessels. One last strange thing, his spleen was striking large, about three times the normal size. There was destruction of the center of the liver lobules which revealed under the microscope, acute gastritis hemorrhage, extensive congestion of the liver and spleen, and the congestion to the brain."

"And if I didn't have a degree in pathology that would mean…"

"He was overall healthy and he didn't die of natural causes." Cam condensed.

Sweets muttered under his breath while he flipped thru the pages without reading them, "seems like that would have been easier to say to begin with."

Cam grinned at the younger man. "I spent a lot of time in classes Dr. Sweets, I like the longer versions." Sweets smiled and nodded. "Besides Dr. Sweets, I've never know your to be short winded on _your_ psychological explanations."

"Touché Dr. Soroyan." Sweets said setting down the file he didn't care to look at anyway -_blah blah blah Latin words _was what Sweets got out of it.

"So there was no poison in his system?" Sweets said looking over the evidence.

"Not necessarily." Cam said. "I am quite convinced the death could not have been natural. The blood in the stomach and liver would suggest poison, though I can't find traces of one."

"Your tone suggests there's more." Sweets said.

"Indeed Dr. Sweets." Cam motioned to a photo of the victim as he was in a different room. "This man is in his late forties and yet he has the legs of an athlete. His calf muscles are high and well developed. Yet his toes are oddly wedge shaped."

"Is that a physical anomaly?"

"If I _had _to put forth an assumption, I'd say this man was in the habit of wearing high heeled and pointed shoes."

"Cross dresser?" Sweets said curiously. "Again? That swim coach was a cross dresser just a few weeks ago."

"I see no efforts to mimic feminity in any other way. He could be a ballet dancer."

"A forty year old ballet dancer who smokes?" Sweets wasn't able to see the best profile forming on that one.

"I don't know, there may be other explanations?" Cam said though she felt doubt in her voice.

Sweets rubbed his eyes. "I've never seen a case with this much evidence that makes absolutely no sense."

"There are two poisons that Dr. Vaziri and I could come up with, ones that would dissolve quickly in the system and leave no trace, Digitalis and Strophanthin." Cam suggested.

"Should I know those?" Sweets asked with crinkled eyebrows.

"Your education has not failed you Dr. Sweets. If I had to go with either of the poisons, I'd say the later. Strophanthin is a rare glycoside derived from the seeds of some African plants. Historically, it was used by a little-known Somali tribe to poison arrows."

"So I'm guessing that's not being dealt on the street." Sweets said sarcastically when a though occurred to him. "Who issues a rare and generally untraceable poison to a man with no known identity in a public park in Washington D.C.?"

Cam was about to agree that the case was going nowhere fast, despite the piles of evidence when Aristo approached. "Cam, are you ready?"

"Just one moment Ari…Dr. Vaziri we are working still." Cam said changing her name selection.

"Cam you do realize that I know and that I'm not going to tell anyone." Sweets said looking over the evidence once more.

"I shouldn't impose that on anyone I know but…"

"Cam, I don't work for the Jeffersonian." Sweets reminded her and smiled. "And you are a friend and I'm glad you're happy."

Cam smiled at Sweets, she wondered if she would call Sweets her friend, naturally he was but this was really the first time they had worked so closely together and she hated to realize that it wasn't as bad as she thought. She felt bad for thinking it would be bad at all. She also thought of what Sweets had said and felt bad that things had ended poorly for him not only with Daisy but also with Jessica. Sweets looked up at her with a smile.

"And no reason to keep working." Sweets said gathering the files. "It's late and you two obviously have plans. I doubt our victim is going to grow an identity tonight but I'll look over the files anyway."

Sweets put the files under his arm while Cam & Aristo shared a sad sort of look. "Would you like to join us Dr. Sweets?" Aristo asked having read Cam's expression.

Sweets smiled at the couple who wasn't going out for a burger, it was a more intimate dinner and in no way wanted pity. "Thank you but no."

"Are you sure? It's really quite casual." Aristo said while trying to nonchalantly make sure he got his tie shoved in his pocket to produce an air of casualness.

"Thank you, but I have plans tonight." Sweets said turning to leave and added shouting over his shoulder. "Maybe we'll have a big break tonight!"

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><p>Sweets <em>big plans <em>for the evening may have been a little exaggerated he knew as he ate the last piece of pizza. _Oh I should stop, but it's so good_ he said to himself eating the last piece. _Ah well now I'm miserable _he said to himself knowing he should have stopped eating a while ago. He lay on his couch, bare feet from his long legs extending over the end of the sofa in some casual sweatpants. He was glad he was wearing those since he was so full – not that his lean frame would show the results of the entire pizza he had just consumed. He flicked a crumb off his black tee and tried to take an interest in the crime drama that was on TV.

"That's not how it works!" Sweets commentated to the screen. "Geez people don't know you anything about forensics!" He turned the volume down but it was too early for bed and yet nothing else was on. He was feeling lazy and in a sort of mood so he decided what better way than to nurse a piss poor attitude than to read on the victim of a crime.

"John Doe." Sweets said flipping open the file. "How do you not have a name?" He mused as he read over all the evidence again. Generally he could pull a profile from someone's past but there was no past, not much more short of the few hours between when he died and when he was found. _Not much history for a guy who just showed up one day _Sweets thought as the television light flickered in the dark room.

With his usual eye for detail Sweets went over each fact one by one until he soon dozed off, the papers dropping to the floor. The crime show revealed the whodunit about the time Sweets started to lightly snore. Snoring took precedence in decibel levels over the sounds emerging from the kitchen…a creek, a crack, the soft footsteps on the floor.

Maybe Sweets wouldn't have been such a sound sleeper if it hadn't been such a long day or his stomach hadn't been so full but waking up to the sensation of a tight grip around his neck brought him to very quickly. His eyes fluttered open in the darkness, the TV had been turned off and the figure before him was entirely cased in black, including a mask. Sweets tried to reach for the attacker's eyes but it was almost as though there were none, most likely from a mask but Sweets was more concerned about the lack of oxygen available to him.

He continued to struggle but the figure was large and imposing and had the jump on him, pinning him to the couch as it continued to strangle him. It loosened its grip and brought its face towards Sweets.

"You and your partner need to drop this case." The figure said in a husky and deep voice. Sweets noted a hint of an accent in it. "Drop it now or next time you won't be so lucky."

The figure let go of Sweets neck which Sweets instinctively began to rub to encourage oxygen to flow thru. Thinking of his attacker he quickly got to his feet but before he could go anywhere he was delivered a swift and heavy kick to the stomach causing him to double over.

"Don't press your luck." The voice said close to Sweets ear as he clutched his stomach in pain. Sweets heart was pounding so hard it was filing his ears with the echo but he could still make out the sound of the figure walking across the floor. Sweets groped in the darkness for the end table's lamp and flipped it on. He was in the room alone and found all the files were gone. His too full stomach turned on itself and soon the full meal was coming back up. Sweets grabbed for the empty pizza box and replaced the food in it though far less desirable than it was the first time.

He slowly stood up and walked towards the bedroom where his gun was but he had to pass the kitchen first. He saw the window at the end was open, the warm evening's air coming in by the fire escape. He went for his gun anyway though he felt certain the apartment was empty now. Holding his stomach in one hand and gun in the other he tried to piece together the shock of what just happened. One thing stuck out in his mind…_partner, he said partner...oh shit Cam! _Sweets was still a little unsteady on his feet but he was concerned now for Cam. As he got close to his phone the screen lit up in the still dimly lit room, _oh no _Sweets thought as he came closer, it was Cam's number.

"Cam!" Sweets answered with great concern. "Be careful, a guy.."

"He just left." Cam said breathless. "I was calling to warn you."

Sweets could tell the tone of Cam's voice was not her normal resigned self, she was quite shaken.

"Are you okay?" Sweets asked with great concern. "Yes, Aristo, he's okay he just…"

Sweets grabbed his keys and ran for the door. He didn't even realize until his foot pressed on the gas that he wasn't wearing any shoes.

* * *

><p>"Cam I'm fine!" Aristo said in a tone that suggested it wasn't the first time he had said it. It was the first thing Sweets heard when he walked to Cam's door, open and guarded by a police officer. The female officer eyed the barefoot Sweets who bore stinky vomit breath.<p>

"Sir, you can't come in here." She said.

"I know Dr. Soroyan…" Sweets said but Cam came to the doorway and nodded that she did indeed know Sweets and the officer let him pass.

"Are you okay?" Sweets asked again with great concern. Cam did not appear to be hurt in any way but she was still shaken.

"Yeah, I'm fine…wait what's on your neck?" Cam asked reaching her cold with nerves fingers to Sweets neck. "Oh my God, I didn't put it all together, did he come to your place too?"

"Yeah, I was asleep on the couch." Sweets said. "You said something about Aristo is he okay?" Sweets asked looking around.

Cam pulled Sweets over to the couch were Aristo sat, a paramedic tending to a gash on his head. Cam placed Sweets next to Aristo as though he were next in line to be examined. When she pushed Sweets to sit he winced at the ache in his stomach.

"What's wrong?" It was now Cam's turn to be concerned.

"Nothing it's fine." Sweets said looking at Aristo who gave a 'I know right?' look to Sweets but Cam was still nervous.

"What happened?" Sweets asked.

"I heard a noise." Aristo explained. "I'm a light sleeper, Cam, she snored – loud."

Cam blushed as her eyes widened. Sweets tried not to smile.

Aristo continued. "Anyway, I was on my way to the front and someone clocked me on the head. Next thing I know I see Cam coming towards me and a guy grabs her says that her and her partner need to lay off the case or else. He tossed Cam at me and by the time we both stood up he was gone."

"What about you, you said you were napping?" Cam asked.

"Yeah I woke up and the guy had his hand around my neck, strangling me. It was dark and I couldn't see a thing." Sweets explained as the paramedic took a look at the red marks and light bruising around his neck. Sweets figured the bruise wouldn't be there long and that a button down shirt would cover it and he wouldn't need to answer questions about it tomorrow.

"You look hurt." Cam said trying to lift Sweets tee shirt up, she saw him wince when he sat. Sweets wasn't used to Cam's distress towards his well-being, of course he was pretty sure she hadn't been thru something like this before.

"I guess he thought I was going after him, when he let go I stood up and he got me in the stomach." Sweets explained.

"That explains the breath." Cam said trying to give him a smile.

"Yeah, I'm turned off pizza for a while." Sweets said trying to cover his mouth but the paramedic offered a Tic Tac.

"So wait, it you were on the way to call Cam, when did this happen?" Aristo asked glad that the paramedic was done tending to his forehead.

Cam & Sweets considered the question. "Well it seems like this happened at the same time."

"Which would make sense so we couldn't call the other one to warn them." Sweets considered. "Which means there were two people."

"What about this case?" Cam said considering the threat.

"Something a little more serious than we thought is definitely going on here." Sweets suggested.

"The detectives looked around, no prints, nothing." Aristo added. "These guys were in and out."

"Don't give me that look Aristo Vaziri." Cam warned him as Sweets sat awkwardly between the two of them.

"What?" Aristo asked like an innocent child.

"You're going to tell me to quit this case."

"I am not!" He said miffed in defense.

"Oh, you're not?" Cam asked surprised.

Sweets continued to stare into the paramedic's light as he between the Bickersons.

"Cam, I left my country because of tactics like these!" Aristo reminded her. "I do not want to be terrorized for finding the truth about a crime."

"Maybe we should get some help, call Booth." Cam suggested. The suggestion however fell on Sweets ears like nails down a chalkboard. He recalled the conversation the day earlier with Booth who was all too happy to imply that Sweets couldn't do this on his own.

"No!" He said shaking his head and waving the paramedic off. The most useful thing he found about the man was his Tic Tac. "No, Booth and Dr. Brennan are busy. We can solve this on our own. We just maybe need to come up with a few more locks on the doors or something."

"Maybe we should stay someplace else while we investigate." Aristo suggested.

Cam nodded and turned to Sweets. "Dr. Sweets are you sure, are we up to this?" She asked wanting some direction.

"We can do this." Sweets reassured her. He damn well hoped he was right.


	4. Chapter 4

_Wesley, I hope this is enough to read for a few hours. ;)_

_LovelyLancelot, I hope things are getting better, we love your reviews and continued support! :)_

_I hope everyone enjoys..._

4.

**Recap 3: Cam, Sweets & Aristo discover more evidence in the case but few answers to the clues. They head home for the evening only to be simultaneously attacked by the same person.**

"Are you sure we are not imposing?" Cam asked a second time as Angela fluffed a pillow on the guest bed.

"Cam please." Angela huffed ushering Hodgins to find another pillow. Cam came closer to Angela.

"Thank you for not saying anything…" Cam nodded to Aristo who was following Hodgins for pillows.

"Oh please Cam, we all know. But you know, we don't know." Angela looked softly at her boss. "Are you sure you guys are alright?"

"Yeah, I don't think he wanted to do much more than scare us." Cam admitted.

"Are you going to quit the case?" Angela asked as the two pulled back the sheets, whispering while Michael Vincent slept soundly.

"No, I know it seems crazy but, this makes me want to find out more than before." Cam admitted.

"Okay, I called and there's going to be someone staked outside." Sweets said putting his phone in his sweat pants pockets. Angela had to smile that even though Sweets now seemed even younger in his casual attire he had a very commanding presence with this case. Sweets though was trying not to show his discomfort, which was centered on his footwear. He had been in such a rush to get to Cam's he hadn't put on any shoes. Aristo had graciously offered to share a pair that were much too small. Sweets accepted them graciously – then shoved his foot inside and smiled thru the discomfort.

"Good, I don't want to put you guys in danger by opening your home to us." Cam said after being relieved Sweets had back up for them.

"What about you Sweets, you want the couch?" Angela offered.

"No, I'm going to go and crash with Booth and Dr. Brennan." Sweets said looking down at his phone as though checking for a text.

"Moving back in with mom & dad?" Angela teased and Sweets gave her a signature look. "Wait, I thought they were on a case someplace?"

Sweets changed to a serious face. He had no intentions of going to the Booth household tonight but wanted none of them to worry so he lied. He had considered calling Booth to bring him up to speed but after another phone call from Booth earlier that evening asking for a quick profile, Sweets knew that Booth was up to his own ears in his own case.

'Yeah they are but they're back tonight, out tomorrow." Sweets lied. "Look, let's not bother Dr. Brennan and Booth with this more than we need to. They are up to their own necks in their own case. I'll keep Booth up to speed. Besides this guy was trying to get us off this, it's probably about money or something. Let's solve this case ASAP and then we can all move on."

The group nodded and soon Sweets was on his way to his car. Sweets got back to his place, shut the kitchen window and after locating a hammer and nails – sealed it shut. He tossed out the smelly pizza box and yawning headed to his bed. He checked his gun, put it on the night stand and got under the sheets, keeping one ear out for any more sounds.

* * *

><p>Sweets woke up a couple of hours after falling asleep and hoped the shower would make him more alert. He dried off carefully as the still sore abdomen was a swift reminder of the night before. He shaved noticing the light purple lines around his neck and thought of Cam. Quickly he dressed in a dark suit, lavender tie and matching shirt, he was hoping for a little tranquility to seep thru from his color choices for the day. Heading to the car he dialed Cam to make sure they had a peaceful night thought he had received no notices from central that anything had happened. Whoever it was that attacked them probably knew that there would be a watch and Sweets didn't fail to make sure it was there. Cam assured them they were fine and getting ready to head into the Jeffersonian when Sweets grew quiet.<p>

"Sweets?" Cam asked at the silence on the line.

Sweets was his car and noticed something in the light he had not in the dark – below the windshield wiper was a piece of paper folded.

"Yeah Cam, I found something." Sweets said answering her repeated calling of his name. He pulled the paper that was firmly jammed in the folds of the metal. "It's a note." Sweets propped the phone next to his ear and unfolded it.

"I can't read it, it looks all runny, wait, when did it rain?" Sweet noticed the overcast sky but he hadn't realized it was raining.

"Bring it to the Jeffersonian." Cam suggested and Sweets was happy to oblige.

* * *

><p>"Well, a little midnight action and now love notes." Angela teased Sweets who was almost tired of giving her faces. What Angela was hiding was her concern for her friends and what happened the night before, she just wasn't very good at showing it.<p>

Angela wasn't sure what else to say so she kept quiet and laid the note out flat and scanned it in. Hodgins came in as it was scanning.

"Figure it out yet?" He asked.

"No, just getting started." Angela said clicking buttons.

"Well I checked and it rained last night for all of ten minutes and according to the national weather service, it rained at the same time of the attacks." Hodgins informed them.

"Really, the national weather service tells time by personal attacks?" Sweets joked sarcastically watching as the note was coming into focus.

"Funny, I was just putting it into terms we needed." Hodgins said. "You said it was shoved in below the windshield wiper?"

"Yeah, I didn't see it last night." Sweets said thinking back. "It was dark but still, I don't think I was supposed to find it, or maybe the person that left it didn't want anyone else to see it left."

The smeared ink from a fountain pen was being removed while Angela concentrated on the pressure points on the paper. Soon the message was coming clear: 'Don't quit this case.'

"So someone leaves a note asking you to not drop the case – while someone else is threatening you to drop the case." Angela said.

"Someone with a split personality disorder?" Hodgins mused while Sweets thought back to Genevieve. _Why was she there at the same time the attacker was _he wondered to himself.

Angela began to speak breaking Sweets from his thoughts. "Well I've got a break from working on Brennan's case so I'm going to run facial recognition software on just about everything to see if I can figure out where this guy's been at least."

"I do have some samples to run for Dr. B. so I'm heading back to my lab." Hodgins said giving his wife a parting kiss.

"I'd like to know why he was at the bus station." Sweets mused deciding where his next move would be.

* * *

><p>Sweets had photos of the man and showed them to everyone at the bus station from the janitor to the head of the station who took copied and would post fliers asking for more information. While he was there Sweets couldn't shake the sensation that he was being followed, something that didn't overall surprise him based on the events of the night before. <em>If everyone quit when they were being terrorized we'd be a British Colony still <em>Sweets offered to himself. Still he didn't like the idea of anyone being in danger and realized what it must feel like to be Booth – they weren't his people but Sweets knew he would be forever in guilt if anything happened to anyone. He called in some extra security for the Jeffersonian as he as on way out. The call ended with another call incoming.

"Dr. Sweets." Cam said in a not so comforted voice. "I need you to get back to the Jeffersonian quickly, we have something more, and  
>it's a bit disturbing."<p>

* * *

><p>Cam had refused to tell Sweets over the phone what had been found. It was a fact he found annoying but she assured him it must be seen in person. Sweets found Cam and Hodgins on the platform with Angela clicking away when he arrived.<p>

"So what is it?" Sweets asked joining them to find a piece of paper on the table. "Paper? Really?"

"This is not just any piece of paper." Cam said eyeing it. "Dr. Vasari is angry that he missed it but he couldn't have possibly seen it –I hardly noticed it at first. There's a small pocket sewn into the waistband of the victim's trousers."

"Like a secret pocket?" Sweets asked for clarification.

"It is possible it was intended to hold a fob watch." Cam explained as she showed it to him on the pants. "Inside, very tightly rolled was this piece of paper." Cam held the paper out, now flat in an evidence bag. Sweets took the evidence and looked at the typeset and elaborately printed script which read, "Taman Shud."

"Is this a name?" Sweets asked with a furrowed brow.

"It's Persian." Angela said speaking up. "The phrase translates to 'it is ended'. It comes from a book of poetry – Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam written in the twelfth century and became very popular in Australian during World War II. The phrase Taman Shud is the last words in most English translations."

Hodgins cut in. "Yeah but that's not the best part. It has existed in numerous editions but there is only one edition that matches this fancy type, it's a very rare edition."

"So there's probably quite a few of them around?" Sweets asked.

"No." Angela answered for everyone. "And as it turns out the only copy around here is at the Library of Congress."

"I suddenly feel a strong desire to visit my local library." Sweets said straightening up to leave.

"I'm coming with you." Cam said leaving with him though Sweets gave her a confused look but they had a silent agreement, they were partners on this one.

* * *

><p>"Here it is!" Cam shouted to Sweets who was a few rows over. The book had not been in the correct place but it was not a text that was allowed to be checked out. Sweets and Cam suspected it was still in the library and found it a few rows over in with other books.<p>

Cam opened the book and turned to the final page, missing a section of script. Cam took the evidence from her pocket and held it up, the tear was a match.

Sweets headed to the front desk with a photo of the man asking if anyone had seen him while Cam secured them to remove the book as evidence. No one had seen the man, as usual and Sweets began to wonder if the man used a series of disguises. He watched as Cam was signing multiple pieces of papers and figured she would be a while. Sweets wondered why the man picked up the book in one place and then walked with it to another. He mused that he merely wanted to remove the page and perhaps someone was in that isle. Still, it was curiosity that brought him back to the isle and in it he found a woman with her back to him in an overcoat, a fact that caught Sweets as strange since it was so warm out. Sweets eyed the shelves to see what other books might be in the isle when the woman whispered to Sweets from between the shelves from the other side now.

"Psst!" She said causing Sweets to look up. He could only see her mouth, a chiseled jaw and flawless skin. He went to move the books to see her face but she stopped him. "Don't to that, just listen. Pretend to read a book, we might be watched."

Sweets could hear her flipping thru pages. He wasn't sure if it was her hint of good looks that intrigued him, her British accent or the mere film noir quality of it all.

"Who would be watching us?" Sweets asked selecting a book he pretended to read like Cam's report.

The woman sighed. "So many people Dr. Sweets."

"You know who I am." Sweets observed. "I would guess you to be Genevieve."

Sweets saw the woman's lower face freeze them a hint of a smile. "You are quite bright Dr. Sweets."

"You're the one who left the note. Why should I stay on this case? Who is this man?"

"So many questions Dr. Sweets, some I do not have the answer to."

"You don't know who he is?"

"He is many people Dr. Sweets."

"Well you know I'm going to need something or I'm dropping this case." Sweets knew his threat would pay off, this woman was desperate for him to keep on the case.

"You can't quit the case Dr. Sweets!" The woman's strained whisper was desperate. "You must find the answer to his work."

"Research? Treasure hunter?" Sweets asked.

"No Dr. Sweets, it's a matter of national importance." She said had quickly looked over her shoulder.

"He's a spy?" Sweets asked. "Then CIA should be working this then – they find spies."

"No Dr. Sweets!" The voice insisted but looked around. Sweets noticed a beauty mark on the side of her jaw. "He is not an international spy, he is **your **spy."

Sweets blinked in the realization and she was gone. He looked to the end of the isle but she was gone. His phone rang with Cam informing him she was ready to go.

Cam had the book having signed her life away, or so it felt, and before she could remark sarcastically on it she noticed the serious look on Sweets face as they left. She noticed he didn't want to talk inside the very quiet library.

"I'm starting to figure out why the Jeffersonian and the FBI were called in on this case." Sweets said once they were yards from the library.

"How is that?" Cam asked.

"A little visit from my pen pal." Sweets said as they headed to the car. "I don't know if I believe her or not, she's very secretive but she says he's a spy."

"Well the CIA investigates spies."

"She says he is CIA, or whatever, she says he's American."

"You believe her?" Cam asked taking in the possibilities.

"Makes a hell of a lot more sense why we were pulled in to investigate a dead guy in the park, but still, why the secrecy, why us?"

"Because we're the best Dr. Sweets." Cam reminded him. "You and Booth, the Jeffersonian, we operate still because we have the highest solved crimes rate of any team."

Sweets paused to take that into consideration. "And if you want it solved but you don't want a lot of attention drawn to it, you just hand it over, no information."

"Right. But what are we to solve, the man's identity, how he was killed?"

"No, it doesn't seem like anyone cares who he was, I mean, think of all the work to cover that up. It seems more….more like _what _he was killed for."

"I don't know Dr. Sweets, are we in over our heads?"

Sweets thought that over a moment. "There's got to be some reason we got this case, why not Booth & Brennan?"

"They were tied up with the other case?"

"Could be." Sweets considered.

They arrived at the car and Cam had to smile at the fact that Sweets was at the passenger door opening it for her, _quite the gentleman _she thought to herself but Sweets mind was stewing in the case.

Cam was just about to sit down when she heard a car's tires squeal as a car began to race towards them turning as it neared them. Sweets was about to push Cam into the car for safety to not get hit but she was already back on her feet though the uneven curb caused her to lose her balance in her tall heels and fall back hard against the door, crushing Sweets left hand in the door frame as it slammed shut, his fingers and hand in-between. Cam heard the crunch of cartridge as it made contact and squirmed. Sweets cried out an 'argh!' but turned to heard the car approaching. He thought he saw the barrel of a gun from the rear window emerge and with his free right hand removed his gun and fired two shots into the door of the car which sped off.

Cam watched the car leave as she continued to breathe hard at what had just happened.

"Cam!" Sweets said thru clenched teeth. "Could you move please?" Sweets face was turning red and Cam looked up to see his hand still between the door and the car, the door she was leaning against keeping it in place.

"Oh my God." Cam said scuttling away, discarding her tall heels so she could move faster. She opened the door gently as Sweets pulled his hand towards him cradling it. The pain was intense and Cam felt guilty.

"Crap I didn't get a plate." Sweets said thru gritted teeth. Cam tried to pull Sweets hand away so she could look at it but Sweets was keeping it close, for some reason he just felt the need to cradle it. Cam finally pulled it forward with a little too much haste causing more pain.

"Sorry, sorry Dr. Sweets….I'm so sorry." Cam said with deep guilt.

Sweets could feel the blood rushing and pounding to the sore fingers and palm.

"It's okay." He managed to say though he wasn't feeling it. Cam had to admire the fact that Sweets was always one to try and make others feel good, no matter how terrible he as feeling, a fact she had observed over the years, but did not always act on, she vowed to be different from now on when it came to that for despite having nearly destroyed his left hand, he still managed to possibly save her life.

"I saw a gun." Cam said, the usual stoic sound missing. "Were they going to shoot us?"

Sweets gritted his teeth at the pain, it was unbelievably painful. "I don't…yeah..I think so. Maybe we should quit this…"

"No!" Cam said with resolve. "This must be something serious or it wouldn't matter. If it is a matter of national security then we must follow thru."

Sweets had to admire Cam's sense of patriotism and it all seemed very fine and brave, until it started to hurt twice in two days to be a patriot.

"First the throat and stomach and now the hand." Sweets mused.

"Yeah, well if they had their choice we'd be…" Cam's voice trailed off.

Sweets put his good hand over hers. "Let's hand this off to the CIA."

"Sweets if they didn't take it to begin with then something is up." Cam looked around at the crowd amassing. "We're not even sure he is for sure a spy, that girl could be playing us, she's not been very forthcoming." Sweets nodded, he had to agree with that.

"We keep working, we keep the spy stuff quiet until we can prove otherwise. Right now he's just another victim with the killer still on us for something." Cam said and Sweets nodded.

"You people okay?" A man asked approaching. "We called the cops."

Sweets smiled. "Thanks but we're sort of already here."

The partners waited around until the cops got all the statements they needed and Sweets assured them he opened fire in a public place with a firm knowledge he wasn't going to harm anyone. The thing Cam & Sweets found interesting was a quick call to the deputy director quickly cleared Cam & Sweets of any wrong doing, there would be no follow up.

"That's suspicious." Cam said as they headed back to Sweets car.

"You think?" Sweets said a little more bitter than he meant.

"Ouch." Cam said at the sarcasm.

"Sorry." He said clutching his hand.

"Oh shoot, sorry, I forgot, that probably hurts like hell."

"Hell? It feels like Lucifer is jabbing at it with his pitchfork." Sweets said cradling it again.

"We should go to the hospital, get it looked at." Cam suggested.

"No, it's fine, plus if someone is trying to follow us and get us shot at, I don't want to lead them to the hospital." Sweets said sadly lamenting the fact he was going to be resigned to pain.

"Then let's go to the Jeffersonian." Cam suggested.

"You want to get Hodgins shot? He must have really made you mad at some experiment." Sweets joked.

Cam gave him a look and smiled. "If your sarcasm has returned you must be feeling better." Cam knew Sweets was only trying to divert his own attention away from his hand. "No, it has that increased security you got for us. I think we'll be safe there."

They walked back over to the car but Cam saw how agonizing the pain was for Sweets. "How about I drive?" Cam offered and Sweets happily handed over the car.

"I'll get the door." Sweets said sarcastically and Cam shook her head as she got in.

Sweets popped open the glove box while Cam started the car then watched Sweets fumble around for a bottle of aspirin. He looked at the expiration date, shrugged at the years past and tried to open it with one hand. Cam took the bottle away and opened it for him, shaking two pills into his hand. He waved his fingers for more but she put the lid on.

"Some doctor you are, making a patient suffer." Sweets said popping the dated pills. Cam tried not to laugh at Sweets sardonic humor while he was in pain but she almost giggled as he tried to awkwardly reach across to snap the seat belt in the lock. Cam held out her hand to stop him after his third try.

"You are a mess today." She said mockingly and easily snapped it in place for him.

"Yeah, I wonder how that happened." He added as she backed out of the parking space.

* * *

><p>"Where have you guys been?" Angela asked as the pair walked in the door. Angela noted that Sweets face seemed a little pale and that Cam was walking barefoot.<p>

"Just getting shot at and hands slammed in doors." Sweets said. "How was your afternoon at the lab?"

"Wait, what?" Angela asked.

"Angela, I'll explain later." Cam said setting the book down in the evidence bag.

"Oh you found it!?" Angel oohed at the antiquated publication before her. "Is it a match?"

"It looked to be so but I want to be sure. I also want to run it for fingerprints, see if we can't get a hit on our guy touching it." Cam said.

"Okay, Hodgins can do that, what do you want me to do?" Angela asked.

"I could use some help with the x-ray machine." Cam said slipping on some workout sneakers from a gym bag. She was determined not to fall down and hurt anyone again today – no one would be accosted by designer heels for the next outfit change, she was determined of that.

"For the book?" Angela asked.

"No, I may have broken Dr. Sweets hand." Cam said leaving her office. Angela followed, still confused.

Though Sweets had insisted it was fine he realized Cam would feel better if he let her scan his hand. Though he preferred to leave it balled up she finally and gently, unfurled his fingers and laid them flat. She noticed how swollen they were and remarked as such causing Angela to offer to get an ice pack to keep the swelling down.

"Can I go now?" Sweets asked eying what Hodgins was scanning with the book with much curiosity. Cam looked at the x-ray but couldn't make out what she saw.

"Yeah, go play." She teased while the youthful man skittered off.

Aristo walked up to Cam with his hands jammed in his lab coat pockets.

"What are you doing?" She asked him with a smile.

"I don't want you to smack my knuckles!" He teased her.

Cam shook her head but sighed. "Ugh, don't tease me, I feel terrible." She wined and Aristo relented by taking her hand in his.

"See I trust you." He offered her. "Besides, you're wearing sneakers."

She playfully hit him on the shoulder then remembered something. "Hey, you're my Dr. Brennan today."

"I'm going to hope that's a compliment." Aristo said eying her.

"Look at his x-ray. I was worried I broke Sweets' fingers, or fractured them but I can't make this out clearly."

Aristo took the x-ray from Cam to offer his expertise in a gloating way but his smile faded and his eyes narrowed.

"These are Dr. Sweets?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, what's this here? This fracturing?" Cam said pointing.

"Those are quite old, it appears the bones were broken but not tended to properly and thus healed very uneven." Aristo explained.

"That's sort of what I thought." Cam said.

"Then I have no expertise." Aristo said with a smile.

"No, I was just hoping I was wrong." Cam said thinking of why someone wouldn't get a bone set properly, the thought seemed to occur to Aristo at the same time.

"I would think the time of this break would have been at a _very _young age, not like a teenager who wants to hide doing something stupid from his parents." Aristo offered.

Cam marched towards Sweets with the x-ray in hand. As she reached Sweets and Hodgins, Hodgins looked up.

"Uh, oh, Mom looks mad." Hodgins teased. "Honest Cam, no experiments were going on, but the book is a match to the paper, and a print on that page that matches to our victim."

"That's good." Cam said dismissively looking at Sweets and not Hodgins.

"Well I can tell I'm important." Hodgins said shrugging his shoulders that his find was apparently not important and headed to his lab.

"Ah, an x-ray." Sweets said eying it in her hand. "Did you break it?" He asked pointing to his hand playfully. "Because if you did, you have to buy it. Well not but it, but pay for it. Not like a hook or anything…"

"Dr. Sweets!" Cam said interrupting his rambling and holding up the x-ray. "No, it's just a couple of hairline fractures that will heal, and I'm very sorry again." Cam said slightly shy. "But what I wanted to ask about was these." She pointed on the x-rays to some other darker lines as Aristo approached, apparently he had come to some conclusions that perhaps Cam did not just yet and he wanted to spare her if he could.

"These fractures, well breaks actually are quite old, you must have been what, five when they happened why were they not set properly?"

Only Aristo noticed Sweets pale slightly.

"My foster parents did not have much money." Sweets said feeling his throat go dry, his eyes glass at a particular memory. "I was clumsy."

"Clumsy?" Cam questioned. "Clumsy enough to break your hand and not tell anyone?" The tone in Cam's voice was accusatory that Sweets was stupid for not telling someone. Sweets preferred she think him stupid than abused.

Before he could come up with another lie Aristo stepped forward. "Perhaps it was a mistake, an accident?" He offered.

Sweets nodded, "yeah, I did something stupid…" his voice trailed off and Cam felt a chill though she didn't know quite why. "Just once though."

"I have a delivery if anyone can sign for it!" A man shouted and Cam set the x-rays down to walk over to the man who could not ascent to the platform due to the security.

Aristo picked up the x-ray and looked at Sweets who looked trapped in a bad memory.

"I've heard that you play piano beautifully." Aristo commented, a comment that seemed to break Sweets of the spell he was in and nodded a 'thank you'. "I hope to hear you play sometime, you know they say that beautiful music often comes from troubled souls." Aristo set the x-ray aside as though suggesting he was not going to bring it up again though his look emitted an empathy towards what must have been a dark incident. Sweets nodded somewhat to Aristo's spoken observation and to his unsaid one was well.

They both turned as a CLANK was heard next to them. They turned to see Cam setting down a brown suitcase on the examination table.

"Delivery." She said was curiosity over the recently arrived parcel. She put on gloves and said, "oh what lies inside…." She opened the case.

* * *

><p><em>Much like the actual case, the paper was found much later. The actual case is referred to as the Taman Shud case as the man's identity was never found. The unidentified man was found December 1, 1948 on a beach in Australia. The poisons mentioned, the autopsy results, the items in his pockets, the condition of the body, the feet, spleen, etc. are all as described in this story, including the text in the pocket. Some of the other facts were changed slightly to fit this story.<em>

_On another note last spring I went to shut the car door and managed to catch one finger in it as I did so. It hurt like HELL. I'm usually pretty tolerable but I thought the tip of my finger (which was all I got in the door) was going to pop off. I was astounded at how awful it felt. Then a few weeks ago I was standing by the car door and it was windy, I put my hand on the car to keep from falling over in my high heels. I moved my hand from the space between the rear car door and the frame just as a gust of wind came up and slammed it shut very hard. I could only imagine how painful that would have been - thus how it ended up in the story. So if you're reading it thinking Sweets is a wimp that it hurt, it's NOT, it's terribly painful! ;0_


	5. Chapter 5

5.

_Thank you to Guest, I was going to check on how to spell Arastoo's name but my connection wasn't working so I used what spell check offered to me! Weill get it correct from her on out. Thanks!_

_Sorry for the delay, I had a few projects come up._

* * *

><p>Cam flopped open the heavy case as Sweets, Arastoo and Hodgins quickly assembled to view the contents.<p>

"How did they find this if there is no identity?" Arastoo asked as the thought occurred to him.

Cam looked up to address him. "The man said that Sweets inquiry at the bus stop caused them to question it."

Sweets was glad he had stopped in a the bus stop.

"They said they could remember very little of the man that had dropped it off but that upon seeing the suitcase they recalled him a little and thought be matched the man in the photo Sweets had shown them." Cam explained. "He had left the suitcase for them to hold and he never came back for it."

"Let's hope the guy left his wallet in here." Hodgins said putting on gloves. Sweets looked on as the trio donned rubber gloves for inspection of contents.

The trio soon removed contents that were typical of a suitcase which consisted of clothing. However, like the victim's clothes - the tags were again removed though of high quality manufacturing.

"Why am I not surprised?" Cam said of the missing labels.

"I'd say this case belongs to the victim." Hodgins said.

"Because of the tags?" Arastoo asked.

"Well, yeah, I doubt that removing tags is all that routine for people to do, but this thread." Hodgins said holding up a spool of orange thread. "It's an old thread and I noticed there were some repairs done to the trousers the victim was wearing. I'll run a test but I'll bet they came from the same spool."

"What's this here?" Arastoo asked excited when he saw a trace of something on the inside collar of a shirt. "I believe this reads "Kean."

The group looked up excitedly at the prospect of a possible name and identity that had so far eluded them.

"Hey great, I'll have Angie run that right away!" Hodgins said rushing to his wife's office for a search to begin.

"It's as though someone took great care to remove any possible ID of the victim." Arastoo said looking over the clothes. "It looked like there was at one time a label, perhaps from an airport that was stuck here but it's been removed."

"Is there anything besides clothes?" Sweets asked taking a step forward in the spot vacated by Hodgins.

"Here's something." Arastoo said reaching the bottom of the case and holding it up. "It's a stencil kit."

"This might be something indeed!" Cam said taking it from him. "My grandfather had one of these. It was used by the Third Officer on merchant ships who were responsible for the stenciling of cargo. Maybe we could look for a name on it."

"Or he bought it at an antique store." Sweets said deflating all of their hope with a reality.

"Well other than that we have pajamas, slippers, underpants, pajamas, shaving items, brown trousers." Cam paused when looking at the last items, "and an electrician's screwdriver, a table knife cut down into a short sharp instrument, a pair of scissors with sharpened points and the stenciling kit."

"What's with the handmade shiv? An the electrician's screwdriver?" Sweets asked eying the two strange items.

"Really?" Cam asked sarcastically. "That's the weirdest thing about the case so far?"

"Hey there's sand in these cuffs." Arastoo said inspecting the pants. I'll see if I can run where this came from, see where he's been!"

"Okay so Angie's got no matches on anyone gone missing by the name of Kean." Hodgins said returning. "She's running a few more things but right now, it's not looking like much."

"With so much care to remove the labels, why put the name on the clothes?" Cam asked.

"I think someone's trying to throw us off with it." Sweets suggested. "The other tags could be removed, that one appeared to be written in ink."

"Then why not remove the shirt entirely?" Cam pondered.

"Like Dr. Sweets said, to throw us off." Arastoo pointed out.

"I did have a moment to run that thread." Hodgins said. "Not that it should surprise you, but it's an unusual type, not available around here. The brand is Barbour and it's an orange waxed thread."

"Weird thread, weird cigarettes, weird man." Sweets said rubbing his eyes at their perplexing predicament. He had feeling everyone was looking at him as the lead agent on the case for what to do next but all that came to mind was to order a double of bourbon.

"That reminds me." Hodgins said snapping his fingers. "The Kensitas cigarettes." Hodgins picked up the evidence bag that held them. "At first I thought it was weird that the Kensitas cigarettes were in an Army Club pack."

"What does that mean Dr. Hodgins?" Cam asked not knowing the brands.

"It would be like sticking Camel cigarettes in a Palmolive pack." Hodgins said. "Some people may put a cheap cigarette in a nicer pack to you know, impress people. But the weird thing is, the Kensitas cigarettes are much more expensive than the Army Clubs. Why was he trying to look less expensive? I mean his clothes were obviously of fine quality so he wasn't trying to hide his money."

"You couldn't find any trace of poison right?" Sweets asked Cam who shook her head, curious what the glimmer in his eye was. "What if it were in the cigarette?"

The squints were impressed by the agent they had so far been doubting.

"One witness remarked that she had seen the smartly dressed man lying on the ground extending his arm up and then letting it fall back to the ground. They thought he was drunk and trying to smoke a cigarette because they saw the cherry end light up." Sweets informed them.

"I can run them and it's a solid theory." Hodgins began. "The only problem is that if the guy was poisoned and from Cam's autopsy he would have vomited quite a bit, there was none at the scene."

"So he had to have been brought there." Arastoo suggested.

"Then he sat smoking, knowing he was going to die." Sweets said.

"So he didn't call for help?" Cam asked. "He's poisoned, vomits, is brought to the scene, lies there and dies and smokes a cigarette?"

"Maybe he couldn't do much else." Sweets said but still it didn't sit right and if he had learned anything from Booth it was that you went with your gut.

"Well he wasn't drug there." Arastoo suggested holding up the man's shoes. "His shoes, which are practically brand new are polished to a shine - no way was he dragged."

"He's a big guy to be carried." Cam added.

Sweets mentally resumed his desire to order a libation. "Well it's late." He said looking at the time. "I suggest we pick this up tomorrow." No one was of the mind to disagree with him.

"Are you heading back to Dr. Brennan & Booth's house?" Hodgins asked Sweets who had to think for a moment what he was talking about.

"Oh, right, um, I think I'll head home tonight." Sweets said suddenly very eager to leave and evade any questions.

"What did Booth think of the case?" Cam asked while part of Sweets resented that she had asked, implying to Sweets that he was not capable.

"Well Booth & Dr. Brennan are extremely busy with their own case. I didn't go into detail - unless you would like me to overwhelm them." Sweets knew it wasn't fair but he also knew it was a statement that would make them want to drop it. It was effective.

"Right, tomorrow then." Cam said eager to enjoy dinner with Arastoo as much as Hodgins was happy to collect his wife and son for a little time at the park before dinner.

* * *

><p>Sweets wasn't a heavy drinker but between the lack of luck in the love department, a scarred childhood and the case fit for a nut job he figured that more than one was suitable.<p>

He avoided the Four Fathers, tonight he preferred a spot he was sure only he frequented and would thus not run into anyone from work. Normally he would have been tempted to change out of his suit to fit in with the crowd better, he had a dozen or so death metal shirts he could have adorned but he had little energy to do more than loosen his tie.

Instead he sat at the bar, garnered a strange look for the barkeep who wore a leather vest and spiked dog collar but upon recognizing the good tipper customer instead issued his drink order and said no more. Not that it was a bar for talking, Sweets reveled in the loud sounds that he and few others would categorize as music. Somewhere in the screaming and the guitar riffs he felt a click in his mind, the peace came among the screaming and he found himself able to think. He sipped the bourbon at a pace that may have been too fast but it was warm and calming against the chill the door let in as the cold late night rain fell. In any other bar he would feel the inclination to stop and chat with the person next to him about the sudden change in the weather but he was glad in here there were no meaningless conversations to be had.

He sipped the highball glass with his right hand and looked down at his left. The high dosage of pain killers than Cam had given him had worn off about the time he left the Jeffersonian making the aged whiskey sound more and more appealing. A small voice in his head reminded him that medicating thru alcohol was a questionable practice but the next song drowned the annoying psychologist in his head out.

Sweets was so involved in his thoughts, going over the case as the pain numbed in his hand, lost in the riffs that he hardly noticed the figure in a black coat sit next to him and order a drink.

Sweets looked over briefly to notice on the man's hand he had a ring, a symbol on top that looked familiar with an eagle sitting atop a shield - he couldn't make out the small symbols surrounding the shield. He stopped trying when he was distracted by a figure who placed his hands on Sweets shoulders. At first Sweets thought it was merely a drunken patron stumbling, that was until he felt the hot air on his ears.

"I thought you were going to lay off this case." The voice said in a voice he recalled from his apartment the night before.

Sweets felt his blood run cold and looked up to the barkeep who was at the far end of the bar. The man to his left moved in towards Sweets pushing him off his stool. Sweets found their movement of him too easy as he looked down at his drink with now blurry vision. He knew he had not had too many but he was unable to put too many thoughts together let alone stand and the realization he had been drugged fell upon him.

The pair enveloped him in the dark bar and escorted him outside. Their burly strength held him up to the point he was sure he was hardly being dragged and the thought of the unknown man being not dragged to the scene came to mind. The fact he now appeared to only be a drunken man being taken out of a bar left no one to question the men and merely step out of their way. Sweets heart began to pound at the fact he was unable to move on his own and ponder if his own fate was about to mirror that of the unknown man.

The rain kept Sweets attention as it began to hit his face and jacket as he was pushed into the brick wall, his back slamming into its uneven surface. The alley was darker than the street and Sweets knew this was not going to bode well.

"I thought you got the message the first time." The man with the accent said before hitting Sweets across the jaw. Unable to stop or react due to the drug Sweets only fell to the ground. The other man stepped closer and kicked him in the stomach twice.

"You should have let me shoot him today!" The man with the accent said with clenched teeth though Sweets ability to hear was far better than his ability to see or move.

"He - is - an - American." The man with the ring responded in a threatening tone. He turned and leaned down close to Sweets face. "You _need _to leave this case alone." The man said it slowly as though letting each word seep into Sweets thick head. "Let's go." The man said to the one with him who couldn't leave before kicking Sweets once more in the chest and stomach and a swipe to the face. Sweets head swam as he began to pass out but first hearing them depart in with what he was sure was three sets of footsteps.

* * *

><p>"I am exhausted." Brennan said flopping onto the bed at the hotel.<p>

"Did you call Max to see how Christine is?" Booth asked thru lips that were barely parted and eyes closed shut from complete and total exhaustion.

"Yeah, she's fine." Brennan was still dressed but lay next to Booth completely exhausted herself until a thought occurred to her. "I got a text from Angela about Cam & Arastoo staying with them."

"What's that about?" Booth asked his curiosity now piqued.

"Something about a case." Brennan said yawning. "Should we be worried?"

"No, Sweets said something about a case but he said he had it under control." Booth said with confidence.

"Are you sure Sweets can handle it?" Brennan asked nervously.

"Sure I am." Booth said his confidence still strong. "Sweets won't let anyone get hurt."

* * *

><p>Sweets woke up with his face against the pavement and a pounding headache. He wasn't sure how long he had been out but after the last kick to the face that sent him into darkness. Waking now, still in darkness with a now soaked suit he pushed against the pavement into a sitting position. He touched his jaw which felt severely adjust to the right from the punch he received. His still aching hand steadied himself into a sitting position when he felt something next to him. He had felt something pressed against his chest when he woke but he thought it was just a result of the blow. He now realized it was a book. It was dry having been wedged under his frame as it lay on the ground, protecting it from the rain. Sweets looked at the book with fuzzy eyes and when he saw the cover he knew he had a string of new questions. He put the book under his jacket to keep it dry and slowly pushed against the brick wall until he was standing.<p>

Sweets hand clutched at the bricks as his head swam at the new altitude, resting his head against the bricks while the swimming subsided and the thought of what to do. His body ached in pain though it was currently second to his situation. He shivered against the wet clothes and the chill in the air as he thought of what to do. He wondered if he should go to the hospital - if he did he would have to file a report, filing a report would bring more attention to this case, something he was not willing to do based on the most recent threat. He considered going to Angela's where he knew Cam and everyone were but he had no desire to put them in any danger. So far, outside of Arastoo's bump on the head, he had been the only one to sustain any injuries and he would keep his people out of it. He wanted to laugh as it was something Booth would have said but it hurt to even grin.

He staggered out of the alley and found someone leaving a Yellow cab and heading into one of the bars. He quickly entered the cab before anyone else could and gave the driver his home address. The driver eyed his condition with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you should see the other guy." Sweets joked but the driver laughed. It hurt a little at the idea that Sweets would not be able to inflict anything worse on the other guy but in reality he hadn't even scratched him. He wanted to hope that was in his own defense the drugs in his system. These drugs however were leaving his system - unlike those that had killed then unknown man. Sweets hoped he was safe as he clutched the book closer to him, bumping ribs that shot pain thru him. He sighed but his head grew heavy again and his eyes involuntarily fell shut.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God." One voice said.<p>

"You've got to be kidding me." Another echoed as his eyes began to flutter open. Sweets saw money being handed into the cab driver and Sweets jumped at the sight thinking he was back in the hands of the men at the bar. The jump earned him a sharp ache in his side he instantly regretted but could not hide.

"Sweets are you okay?" A voice now asked softer. He turned to hear who asked, minus the usual "Dr" and it was as he suspected, Cam.

"What are you doing here?" Sweets asked then cleared his throat of its grogginess. "Wait, what am I doing here?" He asked looking up at Angela & Hodgins house.

Hodgins was collecting Sweets phone back from the driver as Arastoo and Angela began to peel him out of the car. He stood on the sidewalk a moment and began to sway backwards when Cam caught him and stood him back upright.

The quartet watched as Sweets rubbed at his injured lip and slanted figure - deducing he had been struck in the chest. The began to usher him towards the house when he quickly stopped them.

"No, no…" He said reaching back for the cab.

"Yeah you're not going home." Arastoo said assuming he was objecting.

"No the book!" Sweets said clawing at the cab about to pull away. Hodgins stopped the driver and retrieved the book from the back seat.

"Better be a good read." Hodgins said jokingly until he looked down at the cover, his face surprised.

"Let's get inside." Cam said to the others nodding to Sweets who was still swaying and shivering.

Moments later Sweets felt the warmth and light from the indoors that was enhanced by the softness of the couch.

"Geez you're soaking wet." Angela said and Sweets immediately got up apologizing.

"No Sweetie, I just meant that I was concerned." Angela said pushing his swaying figure back to the couch but peeled off his jacket. She went to help take off his shirt but he pushed her hand away.

"It's fine really." He said unconvincingly but had no desire to disrobe in front of everyone.

"Really, it's fine? Is that why you look like this but ask the cab to take you home?" Hodgins said in the best fatherly condemning voice he could muster, it was pretty good.

"I didn't want to implicate anyone." Sweets said resting his head against the back of the couch.

"So this is about the case." Cam deducing. "Another threat?"

"Yeah, I didn't want them to follow me here." Sweets explained.

"Yeah so going home and dying from internal injuries is better." Cam said upset at her new partner. She ignored Sweets dismissal of Angela's hand before and his button down shirt up. He pulled it back down and Cam pulled it back up. The two looked like children on a playground.

"Let's stop." Arastoo said holding out his hands and looked to Hodgins & Angela who got the idea that Sweets did not want to undergo any sort of examination with a group present.

"I'll get some tea." Angela offered heading to the kitchen.

"I've got a thermometer and some Batman band aids." Hodgins said leaving the room. He hadn't seen the psychologist like this short of the injury to his hand earlier today. He always saw Sweets as plucky and this was just weird he thought to himself as he went for the first aid kit.

With the group gone Cam looked at Sweets. "Let me look at your chest or I'll have them all come back in and hold you down." Sweets seemed to be considering how fast he could make it to the door. "If something happened to you Dr. Sweets we would be…. Just…let me see…"

Sweets relented and while keeping an eye on Cam he unbuttoned his shirt. Cam noticed his ill ease at the situation and it seemed to go past just being hurt. Sweets needed a distraction.

"How did I get here, I was heading home." He asked.

"You passed out in the cab." Cam said pressing on Sweets side looking at the skin showing early signs of bruising. "He was going to take you to the cab when you started to talk in your sleep about being careful and watching out. It freaked the driver out, he pulled over to check on you and saw your badge and gun. I was calling you and the driver answered it, told me what was going on, I said to bring you here."

"I see." Sweets said seething as Cam pushed on his skin. Her hands glided up his chest and eyes narrowed in on his chest, small scars buried under the chest hair. She wouldn't haven't hardly noticed them save for the hair and figured this was what Sweets didn't want her to see. Still she pondered the first two until she saw several more and looked closer at the number of blistered scars, long since covered.

"Are we done?" Sweets said trying to pull the shirt back over them. "Am I okay now?"

Cam sat back, still stunned at the scars. She nodded that she was done but her mind was searching for a reason for the small circles - only one came to mind but she didn't like it. She didn't like the idea that at what she deuced was a young age, Sweets was burned with most likely cigarettes to the chest - sadly seen similar scars before on victims, but not as many, and not as old. She recalled the fractures to the hand earlier and the way she had spoken to Sweets about them. A disturbing childhood was beginning to materialize, one she couldn't believe but the evidence was something she could not deny.

Sweets had his damp shirt nearly buttoned up when Cam snapped out of it at the sound of Angela's voice entering with tea. She looked at Sweets with sad eyes and a shocked face. Sweets face was hard and looked away from hers. Cam got the picture instantly and knew the reason she knew nothing of this before now. Angela sat the tea down and said something about finding some of Hodgins sweats and tee shirt and left again. Sweets leaned forward to pick up the inviting cup of tea when Cam grabbed his hand that was on the couch and squeezed it. Sweets paused and looked back at her startled at the mini embrace. Cam's eyes searched Sweets whose were no longer hard but she now saw them as tired but yet full of life despite so much. She looked away and picked up the tea cup and brought it closer to Sweets therefore saving him from undue pressure on his chest.

He gave her a nod and a small smile and she did the same in return, a silent understanding of secrecy. Arastoo had stood at a distance, ready when needed, but he saw he was not. Though he sometimes observed his love was a bit brash or distanced he saw a warmth in her now and was proud of how she handled the situation. He cleared his throat to announce his arrival back to the sitting area. Cam let go of Sweets hand but didn't move from her proximity to him as though still hovering until she was sure he was fine.

"So how is the patient?" Arastoo asked with a smile. He knew if it was serious they would have been on the way to the ER by now.

"He's lucky." Cam said, her normal tone returning. "Thought I'd prefer not to wait I'm sure you're tired." She said to Sweets. "So tomorrow, we go to the Jeffersonian and we do more x-rays."

"Yay….." Sweets said sarcastically as he sipped his tea. He offered a grin to suggest he was kidding.

"I just want to be sure." Cam said still in hovering mode. "I do not detect any broken ribs or bleeding. However you're going to be sore tomorrow."

Sweets shrugged his shoulders - normally Cam would have taken that as him being silly and sarcastic but she noticed this time he didn't smile. The darker thought occurred to her that perhaps waking up the next day in pain wasn't a thought that bothered Sweets, conditioned as such at a young age. It made her feel a little sick to her stomach that someone should become _used _to that sort of thing. Arastoo noticed and picked up the conversation where she left off.

"Cam is just worried. We all are." Arastoo explained. "Maybe you should tell us what happened."

"Yeah and shouldn't we be calling someone?" Hodgins asked.

"No!" Sweets said adamantly. "They want us off the case." Sweets explained.

"Well we're not going to be terrorized!" Hodgins said angry at the emerging situation, he just felt like there was a conspiracy in there somewhere.

"Go right ahead." Sweets said trying to sit down the empty saucer and cup but the pressure to move hurt and Cam took it from him. "But I'm fully terrorized." Sweets meant it as a joke but they realized the reality was that so far, Sweets was the only one taking the brunt of the situation.

"Yeah, but this guy, he died - and something just doesn't fit." Angela said.

"I know, I was kidding, of course we finish the case." Sweets said.

"Not if it means you get yourself killed!" Cam objected.

"Well, we need to work smarter." Arastoo suggested and they agreed. "We need to appear not to work on the case."

"And stick together." Cam added looking at Sweets.

"I suggest wrapping it up as quickly as possible wouldn't hurt either." Angela added.

"Right, any ideas?" Cam asked.

"Well I think Sweets brought us a clue." Hodgins said grabbing the book from the cab.

Angela looked at the book. "Where did you find this?"

"When I woke up it was under me." Sweets said rubbing his head from when he was kicked. "Probably to keep it dry? I don't know, I don't get it, it wasn't there when I passed out."

Sweets told them what happened from the bar to the alley about how the men took him outside, his suspicions about their strength to carry the unknown man, the alley and the ring.

"That's the US symbol, but you don't know what the surrounding symbols were?" Cam said.

"Spears, a hook?" Sweets guessed trying to remember.

"An anchor?! The navy!" Hodgins guessed.

"He had on a U.S. Navy ring?" Angela asked and Sweets shrugged assuming so.

"And you're sure there were three sets of footsteps?" Cam asked.

"Yeah, they were lighter, maybe a woman, sounded like heels." Sweets said growing tired.

"So what's a US Navy officer doing with a guy who likes to beat people with a foreign accent and a woman?" Hodgins asked.

"Sounds like a riddle." Arastoo said. "The whole case sounds like a riddle."

Angela had the last question before Sweets fell back asleep. "Question is, who dropped off another copy of _Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam_ and why?"


	6. Chapter 6

6.

_Still with me? :)__ Gotta figure out how to work in the aspects of the actual case with this version - some of the book being returned to the team is different from the original case. The cypher referred to can be found in any number of Google searches…or the "cover image" to this story…_

* * *

><p><em>We're almost to the end of the clues from the actual real life case that was unsolved. We'll have to find a way to solve it from there…<em>

"I smell coffee!" Cam said happily as she nearly skipped to Angela's kitchen finding Hodgins sipping away at the java. Cam quickly deduced this was not Hodgin's first cup at the speed of his speech.

"Good morning Dr. Saroyan, would you like a cup of coffee, it's good, and we've got a lot of work to do today - in secret of course - but I am super stoked to get to work today. Not that I'm not excited every day but you know this case is sooo…"

"Dr. Hodgins!" Cam said halting the speedy speaker. "I have yet to have some coffee so let's slow down."

"Of course." Hodgins said pouring a cup for Cam who sipped it with delight.

"This is fantastic, what do you do to it?" Cam asked not caring if she had too much and turned into a raving lunatic like Hodgins, it was good.

"I think Sweets made it."

"Where is Dr. Sweets?" Cam asked looking around only to find a folded blanket and pair of sweats and tee on the couch.

"I don't know, I smelled coffee, came down and he was gone." Hodgins explained.

Cam looked at her phone in her pocket and noticed a text she hadn't heard thru her snoring - she would never forgive Arastoo for sharing that.

"Ah, Sweets sent me a text about five this morning, he was heading home to change and would see us at the Jeffersonian." Cam explained.

"I want to get a good look at that book." Hodgins said looking around for it. "Where did it go?"

Cam looked around too and had a haunting smile on her face, she knew Sweets took it with him, and she suspected it was because he didn't want anyone to know it had been there - he seemed determined to keep any harm specific to himself. This she would have to work on with him.

* * *

><p>At the moment Sweets had no concern how much the water bill was going to be. He had been in the shower for a good amount of time, enough he knew that he had to keep upping the hot water which was apparently draining the tank. The steam and warmth cascading over his body was so relaxing he didn't care.<p>

He had woke that morning one last time from a tumultuous slumber peppered with nightmares of harm coming to the team. He would sit awake for a moment and think of how to make sure nothing happened to anyone but exhaustion would recapture him and he would drift back off again. Finally the last one nightmare was too much as he caught Cam who had been shot after a car chase. He got up and made coffee but was uninterested to drink it. He knew he needed a change of clothes anyway so he caught a cab and slipped silently out the front door.

He found himself heading straight for the shower when he got home, entranced by the prospect of the warmth easing his pounding head and aching sides. First he texted Cam to let her know where he was - save for them placing an all-out APB on his location. He smiled at their concern but he wanted some distance from them as well - determined his own recent injuries not overflow to anyone else.

Looking at his shriveling fingers Sweets decided it was time to turn off the water, the cold seeping in way too fast for comfort. Drying and shaving and general bathroom activities drawing to a close, he found excitement at picking out something clean and dry to wear. Batman may have had a cape but Sweets found comfort and confidence in a smart suit. He looked at the label of his shirt as he put it on and thought of the smartly dressed dead man. He pondered the removal of the label, _perception? Identity? Traceable? _He brainstormed the possible reasons in his mind why they had been removed.

His thoughts were drawn away as he buttoned the shirt when his cell buzzed. Assuming it was Cam he unlocked his phone to check the text…Booth…_uh oh… _He read the text "how's your case going?" Sweets considered his answer to the out of town agent. "Open and shut." Sweets texted back and hurried to make that a true statement.

* * *

><p>Sweets caught a cab back to the bar and picked up his car then headed to get a cup of coffee. He turned his nose up at the java that was not nearly as good as his own but the appeal to caffeine overrode his desire for a better cup which he finished as he arrived at the Jeffersonian.<p>

"You have the book right?" Cam asked as soon as he stepped in the room.

Sweets held it up as soon as he walked in. Cam could tell Hodgins was about to ask why he took it but Cam gave him a look. If anything Cam figured Sweets had, literally, taken a beating to get it. The bruising on his chest was covered by his clothes but the split lip and bruise at his temple served as a reminder of Sweets after work activities the night before.

"Who do you think left it?" Angela asked while Arastoo worked on remains that just arrived for Dr. Brennan's case.

"I think it was Genevieve." Sweets answered.

"The mystery woman." Cam recalled.

"You said you thought you heard a woman's footsteps." Hodgins recalled from the night before.

"It seems like she's with these men but she slips away and leaves clues - like the note the night of their first, uh, visit." Sweets reminded them.

"What's her deal?" Hodgins asked trying to figure the mystery woman out.

"She's walking a thin line - or feeding false information." Cam thought aloud.

"Yeah but she's leaving useful clues _and _she's pushing for us to stay on the case." Angela reminded her.

"So why did we get another copy of the same book?" Cam asked opening it and noticing it looked slightly different. "Almost same book."

"Is it an English edition?" Hodgins asked looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah, but it's a different edition, the other one was a third edition. This one is a seventh." Cam said reading the front cover. Angela walked over to a computer as Cam said it, something had caught her attention.

In the meantime the others continued to look at the publication.

"We do have a name on the inside front cover though." Cam said making out the faint lines. "Alfred Boxall. I think there's an address but I can't hardly see it."

Hodgins scanned over it and soon the markings appeared. "1717 Park Lane, DC."

"Is there a section missing in the back of this one?" Sweets asked and Cam flipped to it.

"No." She said almost sad it wasn't until she noticed something that caused her to slip the paper back and forth in the light. "Dr. Hodgins, can you scan this as well, bring it up under ultra violet light?"

Hodgins did as requested and soon an image appeared on the computer screen before them. "Whoa! Talk about conspiracies."

On the screen appeared a legible version of the impressions Cam saw on the pages, most likely formed by a paper sitting over the page being written down, the pressure from the pen leaving them behind.

"Someone wanted these to be found." Cam said.

"Why do you say that?" Hodgins asked.

Sweets answered for her. "Because otherwise they would have wrote it using the back of the book as a place to write it on, not the more impressionable inside back page - knowing we would go to look on the back page for clues."

The image on the screen was this, faint markings of five lines of capital letters with the second line struck out.

WRGOABABD

MLIAOI

WTBIMPANETP

MLIABOAIAQC

ITTMTSAMSTGAB

"Okay so it's code." Cam said looking at it.

"Yeah but to what?" Sweets said reading it over and over.

"The strike out must be significant with its similarity to the fourth line possibly indicating a mistake and thus, possible proof the letters are code." Hodgins mused. "Perhaps I can run this thru some software." He added while typing on the keys.

"Well that's interesting." Angela said finding what she was looking for pulling them momentarily away from Hodgins latest mind blowing case factor.

"What's that Angela?" Cam asked not sure if she entirely wanted more clues.

"This book didn't have a seventh edition." She informed them. "They stopped publishing after the fifth."

"Where's that address at?" Sweets asked.

"It could be old." Angela said pulling it up on the screen. "Oh wow, that's like two blocks from where the body was found."

Sweets looked to Cam with a raised eyebrow. "Let's go." She confirmed and they headed to the door. Cam offered to drive which was fine with Sweets since his hand was still sore from the day before. He was pretty sure the fingernails were going to fall off. He was also glad that so far Cam had forgotten about the x-rays.

"When we get back," Cam said starting the car. "We do those x-rays."

Sweets rolled his eyes as he fumbled with the car's seatbelt. Cam quickly snapped it in place and began to talk before he could feel emasculated and have to say thank you.

"You think this address is old or new?" Cam asked putting the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space.

"Nothing seems to be in this book if it wasn't important." Sweets said watching everything around him.

"What are you looking for Dr. Sweets? Surely my driving isn't that terrible." Cam said jokingly.

"For the people who prefer we drop this case."

Cam's humor vanished. "Oh yeah - them." Cam was now keeping an eye out too.

Soon the duo pulled up at a small residence nestled in a posh and old part of town. The pair went to the door and knocked on it. Within a minute a woman came to the door who seemed startled they were there. She was beautiful in a very classical film noir style. Cam figured the woman was nervous purely because of the fact there were agents at her door. Sweets noticed her collectiveness but a slight tremor to her hand, his suspicions were raised as his attention was drawn to her voice as Cam spoke with her.

Sweets hearing had been honed at young age - that of a young boy hiding from his foster father's foul moods. It left him with a keen ability to recognize voices and the lies within them. This voice was familiar.

"Genevieve?" Sweets asked. The woman slammed the door shut giving Sweets just enough time to remove his just recovered fingers from the door jam. The pair quickly worked to open the locked door when they saw a car race in reverse down the driveway nearly causing a collision with the oncoming car. The pause in her driving gave Sweets & Cam enough time to race to the car and be in pursuit of their only real lead in the case.

Sweets quickly realized he was in the passenger seat, where he usually found himself. He looked over to Cam who looked to be enjoying the high speed chase a bit too much. Sweets ignored the grin on Cam's Speed Racer face and tried to call in the silver bullet they were chasing. Sweets jumped in his seat when he saw the red light they just blew thru, Cam's grin widened. Sweets came to realize he was most likely going to get a red light camera ticket for Cam's driving. He hoped the bureau would cover it but he doubted that the penny pinchers would but it might be worth it if they caught the mystery woman.

"So why does this woman give you a book with her address written in the damn front cover?" Cam asked. "I thought she was all secretive."

"The way she was surprised when she got there she must not have known it was there." Sweets surmised. "Otherwise I doubt we would be on this sightseeing tour."

The pursuit continued and Sweets was growing concerned. "Why haven't any back up showed up yet? I called this in like ten minutes ago."

A concerning thought came to both their minds, the threat to stay off the case. Their thoughts were interrupted however when a large black SUV barreled into the intersection ahead of them slamming into the silver compact car. Cam slammed on the breaks avoiding a collision of their own. Once the pair looked up Sweets could see the SUV continuing down the road. He tried to make out the plate but it was moving too fast.

"What the hell was that?" Cam said looking at it flee the scene. "A tank?"

"It was certainly built to do damage." Sweets looked back to the damaged car ahead of them. "Genevieve!" He shouted as he and Cam were lulled from their shock and to the car ahead of them.

They rushed to the sedan to see the woman in the driver's seat whose head was lolling around from the impact in a confused state. However before Cam could even check on her vitals the whirl of an ambulance siren filled the air. Cam & Sweets looked to each other with the same question, how to police fail to show up in a pursuit but the ambulance arrives seconds after a crash? Sweets took out his cell and snapped several pictures of the woman and acted like he was stepping away to give the paramedics room. The paramedics also pushed Cam away who was then trying to help. In the diversion Sweets took additional pictures of the plate of the car.

At the moment he put his phone in his pocket the police showed up - not interested in the least who the two of them were and informed them they must leave the scene as their car was blocking the ambulance's route to leave. Cam knew this was not protocol for the witnesses to the hit and run be ushered away so quickly.

"Here ma'am call this number and we will collect your statements later." The officer said handing over his business card. Cam noticed a few of the other vehicle's drivers talking to the other officers and felt that something was wrong.

"Fine, well, where are you taking her?" Cam asked watching the woman be placed on the stretcher and loaded into the ambulance.

"County ma'am." The officer told her and pushed her and Sweets towards the car. Cam looked to Sweets to see if he thought the whole thing was as strange as she but his expression was one she hadn't seen before.

"Yeah Cam, we have the officer's information, let's talk to him later." He told her as he glanced around one last time.

"Okay, let's go." Cam said still thinking it was strange but she figured it was Sweets case anyway.

She got behind the driver's seat and backed the car up and headed down the road. She noticed that Sweets was unusually quiet but his lips moved slightly as though repeating something over and over. Once they were a couple of blocks away he took his phone out and began to text.

"Sweets what's going on?" She asked irritated. He held up his hand to finish typing what he was trying to remember.

"Those weren't cops. And those weren't witnesses." He said hitting send to several messages.

"What?" Cam said about to slam on the breaks and go back.

"Cam, keep driving." Sweets reminded her sternly.

Cam trusted Sweets and continued to drive.

"Sweets, please start explaining quickly."

"Since when did cops start carrying AF-12's?" Sweets asked.

"They don't…oh…." Cam said realizing. "I didn't pay attention to the cop's gun."

"Yeah, they all had them. I think those _witnesses _were also pointed towards that scene. Their timing was a bit too convenient."

"So wait, what about that woman? We just let them take her away." Cam said concerned.

"I know." Sweets said obviously troubled with the decision he had made. "When I saw what was most likely happening I knew they would turn and shoot us, I had to get us out of there." Sweets could only think of the dream the night before where Cam had gotten shot, something he wasn't going to let happen this afternoon.

"We set her up for that." Cam said feeling guilty.

"I know, but she was in it deep already. And I don't think they will hurt her. If they wanted her dead they would have killed her at that scene, they wanted her quiet." Sweets said explaining his decision.

"You made the right decision." Cam assured Sweets who wasn't so sure.

"Let's get back to the Jeffersonian, figure out who this woman is and who those cops are."

* * *

><p>Cam &amp; Sweets got back to the Jeffersonian in time to hear what Angela, Hodgins &amp; Arastoo had found based on the texts Sweets sent them. Cam &amp; Sweets stood ready to hear what everyone had to say, by their expressions it was going to be a lot.<p>

"Okay," Cam said holding up her hands to call in some order to this, "who's first?"

"Me!" Angela said hand up. "I ran the plate that Sweets sent me."

"That's what you were mouthing in the car."

Sweets nodded, "I didn't want to forget."

"Yeah well it's a police car alright, stolen." Angela reported.

"I contacted country general, no one's been admitted there from an accident." Hodgins added.

"And I checked, no police reports called out to that intersection." Angela reported. "Also, that red light camera that got you, nothing."

Cam's expression was blank. "I know I ran that light! I saw it snap!" She looked to Sweets. "Sorry."

"Yeah, erased or something." Angela said.

"What about this card?" Cam said handing over the officer's card. Angela dialed the phone number where a pizza place answered.

Cam rubbed her head, a little more relieved now that Sweets had gotten them away from the scene, these people meant business.

"I have something." Arastoo said raising his hand having patiently waited. "I believe it's quite important."

Arastoo laid out two photos on the table, one of the victim and one of the woman in the car that Sweets photographed.

"If you notice here, this is a side shot of the victim." Arastoo said pointing to the ear. "I you will notice the upper hollow, cymba, is larger than the lower hollow, cavum. This ear type is possessed by only 1–2% of the Caucasian population."

"That should help identify the unknown man right?" Hodgins asked.

"Yes but if you will notice the photo Dr. Sweets took of the side of the woman's face." Arastoo pointed to the identical ear.

"What's the chances of that?" Angela asked.

"The condition is hereditary." Arastoo explained.

Cam gasped. "She's his daughter."

"Are you sure?" Hodgins questioned.

Arastoo continued with his evidence. "Both of these two also have another condition, hypodontia. The chance that this is a coincidence has been estimated as between 1 in 10,000,000 and 1 in 20,000,000."

"It's his daughter." Sweets said convinced.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

_LovelyLancelot - I **LOVE **your reviews - you and Wesley keep me writing! ;)_

_Confused? We'll be bringing in the facts here to get everyone up to speed. At this point that's all the clues from the 1948 case - all of which are real from the suitcase to the books, the cypher, the tags missing, the condition of the body, all of it._

* * *

><p>"The informant on the case is also the unknown man's daughter." Cam reiterated.<p>

"And we have no idea where she is now." Angela lamented. "So I guess we can't ask her."

"What about the cypher?" Sweets asked desperate for one of their many clues to lead them someplace helpful.

"I've run it thru dozens of software programs." Hodgins informed them while rubbing his head at the headache of it. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Cam asked surprised at his defeat.

"I know, it _has _to mean something." Hodgins said looking it over again.

Cam looked at Hodgins, Angela and Arastoo who looked tired but far from quitting. She eyed Sweets who winced each time he put pressure on his one side.

"Angela & Hodgins, how about you guys take a break, long lunch is well earned." Cam suggested.

"But we have more to solve." Angela said and realized Cam must have wanted them away from the lab for a moment, knowing she hadn't asked Sweets to leave she recalled the promise of x-rays.

"Sure. Come on Jack, I'm very hungry." Angela said glad that Jack didn't ask too many questions, his mind was still busy on the cypher puzzle.

"I've got some items to check on in the bone room." Arastoo said taking his own leave.

Cam walked closer to Sweets who continued to pour over the evidence. "Dr. Sweets?"

Sweets looked up to see that everyone was gone.

"If you recall there was a promise of some x-rays." Cam said.

"Oh, I feel fine, really." Sweets said wincing as he looked back down at the evidence.

"If you prefer I can call the FBI director. I'm sure if something happened to you as a result of injuries…"

"Fine!" Sweets said knowing damn well that Cam would call that bluff in.

"Right this way doctor." Cam said motioning him to another room.

"Yes doctor." Sweets mocked.

Once they reached the x-ray room Cam nodded to the table to which Sweets shoulders slumped.

"What did you expect?" Cam asked. "This is different than just doing your hand like yesterday, it's this or we go to the hospital."

Sweets rolled his eyes and climbed on the table opposite Cam so she could not see his face squish at the pain the climb caused.

"Oh wait, shirt off." Cam warned.

"Really?" Sweets complained.

"Yes, that's how x-rays work Dr. Sweets, you should know that."

_Too well _Sweets thought to himself as he loosened his tie and pulled off his blazer. Cam helped to pull it off and set it nicely on the chair nearby. Cam noticed that Sweets was quite uncomfortable at this process and she sensed it had to do with more than taking a shirt off in front of a friend.

"You can keep your pants on." Cam said at which Sweets gave her a sarcastic 'thanks' look.

"Touchy." Cam said walking over to the machine. Sweets was quick to lie down on the table, his back away from her vision.

Cam moved the machine over Sweets chest and positioned it, noting a controlled breathing on Sweets part, something he was heavily concentrating on.

"Have you had a x-ray before yesterday Dr. Sweets?" She asked.

"A few times." Sweets said under clenched teeth.

As Cam walked away to take the image she realized Sweets almost didn't realize what he said, _a few times _she repeated in her mind, who has the need for multiple x-rays? As far as she knew Sweets had been shot that once with Agent Perotta but not much more than that in the time she had known him. It was only then that she recalled their quick exam the night before. So much had gone on she had nearly forgotten seeing the small round scars in his chest, most likely left many years before from the cherry end of the cigarette.

She wasn't sure what to say so she snapped the machine a couple of times and then gave the all clear. Sweets moved quickly to slip his shirt back on but he wasn't fast enough in turning around to avoid Cam seeing his back.

"Good Lord Sweets." Cam said walking to him closely as he spun his back away from her and tried to quickly button his shirt. She could still see those small scars between the chest hair that he was quick to hide. Sweets did not look up at her.

"It's a long time ago." Sweets said of the scars she saw.

"What else am I going to see on the x-rays Sweets?" Cam asked. She hadn't wanted to pry but she was genuinely perplexed and concerned at what her so seemingly young and innocent partner had actually endured in his youth.

"There are a few other old breaks." Sweets said answering her question. "You wanted to know about my hand the other day." Sweets pulled his tie back around.

"You don't have to if you don't want to tell me Dr. Sweets, I'm sorry to intrude, I just, I am so surprised."

"I was a kid, five, we went to a birthday party. We didn't go out much but this time it was my foster father's sister's kid." Sweets continued to talk while attempting to tie his tie but his still sore hand from the day before hampered the process. Cam reached forward to which Sweets froze, after a moment he relaxed and she continued and tied it. He continued his story as he slipped on his jacket.

"I was a small kid, the other kids made fun of me calling me scrawny and skinny."

"Malnourished?" Cam asked quickly, too quickly, this wasn't a case, this was Sweets. She couldn't take it back though, it was out there.

Sweets nodded yes, his eyes still downcast as he leaned against the table. "They birthday party was at one of those play places with the big indoor climbing sets, it went really high. The other kids said I was too small to climb to the top. I wanted to prove them wrong."

"You've always been an over achiever then?" Cam said offering a smile but only a tiny corner of Sweets mouth turned upward.

"I started climbing and my foster father came over and told me to stop. I could hear the other kids calling me a wimp, I kept climbing, he began screaming - it became quite the scene. I got to the top and he shouted for me to come down. I knew what would happen when I came down." Sweets said and swallowed hard. "I didn't want to come down, I wanted to live up there. It was then I learned about consequences."

"What happened?" Cam asked a desperate need to know though she knew it was uncomfortable for Sweets.

"I don't know exactly." Sweets said clearing his throat and looking up now. "A lot of those memories get muddled together. I remember him climbing thru that maze, I was at the top, nowhere to go and him pulling me out. I remember looking at the adults, no one would do anything. I was to blame, I shouldn't have pushed his buttons."

"That's not your fault Sweets. It should never have been like that." Cam said taking a step closer. Sweets nodded though he seemed unconvinced. "Thank you for telling me." Cam wanted to hug the young doctor but for the first time she didn't think Sweets wanted her to. Sweets always seemed to welcome a hug but this time he seemed distant, his eyes lost in unpleasant memories.

A machine beeped and Cam went to retrieve x-rays that came out into a tray. She put them in a light box and examined them, trying to ignore the many concerning aged fractures that appeared on the film. She noticed Sweets did not want to look at them. Cam concentrated on anything new but saw nothing that made her worry too much.

"Just a few bruises it looks like." Cam said.

"So all that for nothing then?" Sweets said a slight annoyance.

"If it had been something it would have been." Cam reminded him. "We certainly don't want to lose you Dr. Sweets."

He nodded and headed for the door. "I'd prefer you didn't share…"

"Just between partners." She reminded him.

* * *

><p>Sweets and Cam walked out of the office to find Hodgins &amp; Angela returning from lunch. Hodgins was quickly heading to the computer so they knew he must have thought of something.<p>

"How is the patient?" Angela asked eating the rest of the sandwich she apparently had not been able to at the restaurant.

"He'll live I'm happy to say." Cam reported.

"Good, now don't scare us like that again." Angela ordered with a mouth full of food.

Sweets smiled before their attention was turned to Hodgins loud "aha!"

"At lunch he had an epiphany." Angela said chewing the rest of her helping.

"Last night we figured one of the guys was foreign and the other was a US Navy Officer - possibly." Hodgins said clicking away at the computer.

"He told the other guy not to kill me because I was an American." Sweets recalled. "That seemed to really bother him."

"A strange sort of patriot." Cam commented.

Hodgins continued, "Looking at the cypher I noticed what could be a word, "board" buried in the first line."

"Okay so that leaves W-G-B-A." Cam said listing off the remaining letters.

"I thought there might be a connection with any of the navy officers, so I wanted to do a search, BAG -W is one of the slips at the wharf." Hodgins replied, an image appearing on the screen of a mid-sized ship appearing on the screen from a satellite image. "This boat belongs to U.S. Navy Commander Cameron Mahaffey."

"Let's go check it out." Sweets said.

"Don't we need a warrant?" Cam asked.

"Probably not going to get one for a navy officer's private ship." Hodgins offered.

"We can be lost tourists just looking around." Cam suggested and Sweets smiled.

* * *

><p>The afternoon became overcast as Sweets and Cam arrived at the wharf and soon located the slip in question.<p>

"Honey, is this the boat we were looking to buy?" Cam asked eyeing the ship.

"No need dear." Sweets said playfully then pointed to a smear of blood on the door frame that flew open in the wind.

"That's a free pass to go inside." Cam said as Sweets drawing his gun as he stepped inside.

The cabin of the mid-sized high end boat was posh but in disarray, a struggle had obviously occurred there earlier. Cam walked to the counter where half a pastry sat on the counter.

"Sweets." She said pointing to it, Sweets looked over and gave a look.

"I guess it's open dibbs but who knows how long it's been sitting out."

Cam rolled her eyes.

"I didn't want a snack!" Cam exhaled heavily. "The contents of the man's stomach, half a pastry." Cam looked for something to bag the pastry with. "If we could match the ingredients specifically to this it might give us a link."

Sweets looked at the table with the items on it mostly now on the floor. He could see that a struggle had occurred but little else was being given away. He was about to move his search elsewhere when something caught his eye under the table he bent down and under the table to retrieve the item.

Suddenly a man in a dark coat emerged from the back bedroom. He ran from the back and out the door. His appearance made Cam jump and drop the pastry while Sweets rose up and banged his head on the underside of the table. Sweets scrambled from out under the table and took off after the man, angry at himself for not searching the cabin completely.

He put the thoughts behind him as he chased the man in black pants and black overcoat and balding white head as it was a good distance from him. The man turned at the end of the row and now that he was out of sight Sweets paused and pulled his gun. Before he could take another step he heard Cam shout his name, he spun to see the man jumping from a boat above down on him. Sweets half wondered how the man had gotten there so fast but the thought was abandoned as he was on the wood planks of the boat decking rolling with the attacker. Sweets looked up for a brief second to see Cam running after him with her high heels in her hand.

Sweets and the man rolled once more and Sweets was surprised when the man let go but Sweets soon found why as he was rolling off the dock. He quickly grabbed the rope netting next to him to keep from falling into the waters very far below. His sore hand was making it hard to hold on and his chest ached from banging into the side after falling over it. Knowing he could swim but questioning the contents of the polluted water below be preferred not to fall. As his only useful hand was losing it's grip Cam appeared at the side and grabbed the injured hand past the hand on the wrist and pulled. The height upward gave Sweets enough distance to insert his shoes in the rope net and hoist himself up further.

"No!" Sweets shouted suddenly remembering the guy and worrying Cam was in trouble. "The guy…"

"He ran off." Cam said pulling once more on Sweets' coat to help him the rest of the way to the dock's surface.

Sweets was relieved to be back on the surface again and soon the two were on their feet looking around.

"That guy was fast!" Sweets said seeing no one in sight.

"I saw him turn and get on that boat, ready to get the jump on you." Cam explained. "And he was fast."

"Yeah." Sweets said still a little out of breath. "Thanks."

"You okay?" She asked noticing his heavy breathing.

"Yeah, I could have done without that." He said motioning to the edge while holding his side. "Just another day investigating I guess."

"This case is getting too dangerous." Cam said thinking of the recent slew of events.

"No, we no **I **need to be more careful." Sweets chastised himself as they walked back towards the boat. "I should have checked the entire boat."

"It's …." Cam didn't get to finish her sentence because the boat exploded before them. Sweets grabbed Cam and pulled her away, his back to the falling debris around them.

Once a few second passed and their ears stopped ringing they looked back at the flaming boat. Cam looked to Sweets who looked dejected at the lost evidence but felt assured with his as a partner. A second ago he was worried he had messed up by not checking the boat first but when push came to shove he was a true partner, instinctively shielding her from the debris. Cam held a small smile feeling confident at her partner's abilities.

"I don't know what you're smiling about." He said taking out his phone to call emergency services. "I'm looking at a lot of paper work and lost evidence."

Cam looked at Sweets who saw his lips moving but heard nothing. A man rounded the corner who had been at the far end fishing. He came upon the pair - the woman without shoes on and the man with the dusty jacket where a debris board had hit him on the back. He watched as the pair shouted to each other like a hard hearing old married couple.

"What?!" Cam shouted. Sweets looked to Cam whose lips were moving and he could read that she was asking 'what'? They realized the blast had temporarily impaired their hearing but they still kept trying to communicate.

"Evidence!" Sweets shouted and Cam read his lips.

"My pastry! The blood!" Cam shouted recalling the evidence being lost.

The man in the distance stood in horror at the last sentence being exchanged. "What the…." He said aloud.

"Did anyone answer?" Sweets shouted into the phone, he couldn't tell if anyone had answered his call or not yet. "I need to report an explosion, a fire." Sweets looked down at the phone to see if he was still connected. Cam tapped his arm to get his attention and pointed to the man at the end.

"Sir!" Sweets shouted though the man looked nervous at the pair and their last statement about blood and pastries. "Can you tell them where we are, I can't hear!" Sweets shouted so loud that the man took a step back. "We're with the FBI and the Jeffersonian."

The man cautiously took the phone from the man with the mangled hand, split lip and dirty coat and nodded. He was definitely hoping someone would come, he wasn't so sure about these two.

Sweets and Cam looked back at the flaming ship still above water for now.

"It's all gone!" Cam said.

Sweets turned to face her. "What?" He asked not hearing what she said.

"It's all gone!" She shouted louder and the pedestrian walked away to hear the 911 operator. "All that evidence is gone!" Cam's lips read to Sweets.

Sweets tapped Cam on the shoulder so she could look back at him and away from the maritime disaster. He smiled and reached in his pocket for the item he retrieved from under the table of the boat.

Cam looked down at his hand where he held a cuff link, a matching cufflink to the unknown man.


	8. Chapter 8

8.

_Perhaps another chapter here before going back to the baby daddy story. Sorry for the delay, working on buying a house and not thumping annoying coworkers upside the head. Plus now I have a pretty clear idea on how this is going to go now, we've got some action in the plans now, so hopefully there will be some frequent updates with all the ideas I have._

* * *

><p>Sweets and Cam ignored the sideway glances they received upon arriving back at the lab. Surely they would have to explain their disheveled experience to the team but first they headed directly to the coffee pot hoping for something to warm them up after their time out in the rain.<p>

"A drink would be better." Cam said after sipping a cup of joe left from that morning.

"I think turpentine would be better than this. This is like syrup." Sweets said eying his cup suspiciously.

"At least it's warm."

"Turpentine can be warmed too."

Arastoo, Hodgins and Angela approached.

"Okay so out with it, what the hell happened to you two?" Angela asked.

Sweets reached in his pocket and handed the cufflink to Hodgins. "Can we see if this matches the other one?"

"The other one had an S on it." Arastoo said looking at the men's accessory in Hodgins hand.

"Yeah what's the U?" Angela asked looking at it.

"It's been about patriotism so far, US for United States." Hodgins mused. "I'll look into it, right after you two tell us why it looks like you got thrown off a pier."

"Nah, only almost." Cam said taking a sip and earning wide glances from the trio.

"Did you get a good look at the guy?" Sweets asked Cam.

"What guy?" Angela asked.

"The one who was in the boat who attacked Sweets." Cam explained. "And no, it was so quick."

"A guy attacked Sweets?" Angela asked in surprise.

"Yeah but it was the explosion that made the biggest mess." Sweets said his thoughts reviewing the case instead of the huge bits of info they were dropping on the others.

"Explosion?!" Hodgins asked.

"Do you think he was there setting it?" Cam asked.

"If I had to guess yeah." Sweets said. "He wanted to be away from that timer."

"But it didn't go off for a while." Cam recalled.

"Wait, you were in the boat that blew up?" Arastoo asked concerned.

"Yeah, that's where we found the cufflink." Cam said. "But we couldn't save the pastry."

"Pastry?" Hodgins asked.

"Maybe we should start from the beginning." Sweets offered.

* * *

><p>Later the rest were caught up on the adventures at the wharf and the cufflink had been identified as a match based on its unique metal composition and country of origin.<p>

"It's hand made." Hodgins explained. "Custom job."

"Which is strange because really it's not unusual, why a custom job on it?" Angela asked eying the now reunited pair of cufflinks.

"What did the cops say about the boat explosion?" Hodgins asked thinking back to their earlier encounter.

Cam handed over the card from the cop. "Don't bother it's another phone number to a pizza place."

"Another cover up?" Hodgins asked salivating at the conspiracy.

"Then why set the explosion and then be the ones to cover it up?" Angela asked confused.

"I've been thinking about that." Sweets said happy to set the lurid cup of coffee aside. "I don't think these people are on the same side."

"So one set of them is working the cover up and the other is…." Arastoo was confused.

"I think they are both trying to work a cover up." Sweets delineated. "But for different reasons. The guy today was setting the explosives on the boat to get rid of the evidence _and _he wanted to kill me. The other people, the ones who want us off the case, but who don't seem to want to actually kill us, just threaten, I don't think they knew about the boat or what occurred on it or they would have discarded it already."

"So we are now running dual conspiracies?" Hodgins was beside himself with excitement.

"Dr. Hodgins we are still investigating murders and disappearances." Cam reminded the jubilant entomologist.

"Right, right." He said but his grin didn't reflect any lessening of enthusiasm.

"And we have yet to find this Genevieve person." Angela reminded them.

"I'd like to not, for now." Sweets said surprising them. "She was obviously in a precarious situation, one that worsened when we got more involved - if she is a civilian - and on our side I don't want to cause more harm to her by implicating her until we know more."

"I can agree with that." Cam said following the logic. She noticed the tired faces of those around her. "It's pretty late, how about we pick the rest of this up in the morning?"

No one disagreed.

* * *

><p>Sweets yawned most of the way home as the darkness set in. He wanted to think of the case and find some great break thru but instead it only gave him more of a headache. Though he knew he needed to eat nothing sounded appealing to his stomach. He thought of stopping at the bar but he recalled getting beat up in the alley and decided to go home, not that home was safe from getting attacked either. Still his bed sounded inviting and even if he skipped dinner or drinks, sleep was the most enticing endeavor so far.<p>

Sweets parked the car and looked for a moment but he had no files to carry around. Most of the case was evidence and that was at the lab, so far the only really secure place they had so he walked to the apartment door and tossed his keys to an empty bowl. As a light snapped on he went for his gun but stopped when the figure sitting in his living room chair was quite beautiful, and recognizable.

"Hello Genevieve." Sweets said trying not to be too alarmed that a woman had broken into his apartment, the same woman who was generally connection to moments he found to be physically painful. "Should I ask what you are doing here?" Sweets asked as he turned to face the woman, his back to the door. Recent encounters with her encouraged him to keep his eyes on the rest of the room.

"You came to my home so why should I not break into yours?" Her voice was angry.

"I didn't know it was your home. I was only following your evasive clues and desires for me to stay on the case." Sweets issued back.

Genevieve narrowed her eyes but she also knew that Sweets was right about that.

"I did not however intend for harm to come to you." Sweets said, his voice softening as he said it.

"Nor I." Genevieve said lowering her head.

Sweets felt assured the room was devoid of other intruders and approached the woman, though still with caution and a security in the knowledge that his gun was still on his person. While the woman was beautiful and deeply sensual he also knew she seemed to carry a sense of danger in the same way other women carried a cell phone.

As Sweets got closer he saw a bruise on her face.

"Are you okay?" He asked sitting opposite her.

"Yes, it was just the accident."

"Do you want to tell me about that. I didn't want to leave but it was quite impossible to stay."

Genevieve thought it over. "You knew they wouldn't hurt me."

Sweets nodded affirmatively and continued to speak. "Perhaps you can share a little more with me about who _they _are, why _they _want me off the case but won't kill me but why there is a man who also has an interest in the case who _does _want to kill me."

"I can't answer all of those questions."

"Then why do you come here?" He asked. "It's very difficult to stay on a case that has very little sense to it and threats to the team members on it."

Genevieve stood up quickly, a cross between a panic and a passion to plead her case. "I wanted the case to stay with you and your team because you are all the best there are in these matters. No one else can solve it."

"Then why not give me more to go on and solve it?"

"I cannot say too much, you've seen what can happen when I get too involved."

Sweets tried to figure out if this woman was wonderful or maddening. "Then why not at least tell me he was your father."

Genevieve tried to hide her expression, turning before Sweets could see it.

"He's not my father."

Sweets was shocked that she denied it. "Of course he is, the genetic markers, the unusual medical conditions are far too rare…"

"I tell you he is not!" Genevieve shouted and immediately regretted it, looking to see if anyone might have heard her. Sweets could tell she was lying and wondered why. He wanted to be mad but she also looked terrified.

"Look I don't really have a many more leads to go on so I don't know if I'll be on this case much longer." Sweets replied honestly since their last evidence had literally gone up in flames.

"No, no, no, please…" Genevieve said running closer to him. "Please, don't, if you and your people cannot figure it out then no one will, justice, it must be…" Genevieve's eyes searched Sweets eyes for help, tears forming at the corners and Sweets was a sucker for help.

"I'll try and think some something more I can tell you but…please…." Genevieve continued.

Sweets put his hands on her shoulder to calm her as he reviewed the genuine possibilities of solving the case.

"I'll do what I can, but you have to tell me, why did you come here?" Sweets promised and asked.

"I honestly don't have a good reason except to ask you to stay on it." Genevieve said feeling comforted by his hands on her shoulders. "And…and…because…"

Genevieve slipped her hand behind Sweets neck and pulled his lips to hers. Sweets couldn't detest that the mysterious and beautiful woman was appealing to him. While everything in his mind seemed to suggest he should run from her he could not move away from her except to continue their dance down the hallway towards the bedroom.

The conversation ended as their passion towards the other seemed to ignite. Sweets recalled the last failed attempt at a relationship with Jessica Warren not long ago but this one seemed to have far less strings attached, a thought on both of their parts so they went with their drive more than what their mind suggested was a good idea. Though nearly exhausted a half hour before Sweets found himself full of vim and vigor as the activities in the bedroom continued. Genevieve found herself pleasured in ways that one only dreams of and she returned the favor.

The next morning Sweets woke feeling exhausted and relaxed at the same time. He looked about the empty bed and for a moment wondered if it was a dream until the scene of Chanel filled his senses, the same intoxicating aroma the night before. He knew he had been tired even before he had come home and must have crashed the once their activities had met their pleasurable conclusion. He somehow was not surprised the elusive Genevieve was gone.

He was however surprised to find a token in her absence under his phone on the night stand. The small paper fell to the floor, he reached down to pick it up and saw a business card for a Dean Harding, CIA agent. Sweets picked up his phone and called Cam.

"Let me guess, more evidence?" Cam asked when Sweets told her had something. "I never thought I would get tired of evidence." She added sarcastically.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure this time this one is going to lead us to something big."


	9. Chapter 9

9.

_I do need to get back to Baby Daddy but I'm sort of on a roll here..._

* * *

><p>"So we're just going into this guy's office?" Cam said exiting the car and joining alongside Sweets to the CIA office.<p>

"I didn't call ahead, if I do he may bolt if he finds out why we're there." Sweets said opening the door for Cam.

"And if he doesn't see us?"

Sweets shrugged, "we're none for the worse, besides I have a feeling he will, why else would Genevieve leave the card?"

"Yeah, so I didn't get all that." Cam said pressing the elevator button. "You said she stopped by last night but it didn't sound like you got very many details."

"Yeah, she wasn't very chatty."

Cam's eyebrows crinkled as they stepped into the elevator. "Then what happened she's in your apartment, she hands you a card and…" Cam paused as she blushed. "Oh, I have an idea what might be, uh, distracting."

Cam now knew where that glow on Sweets was coming from.

"What?" Sweets asked not catching on, then he did. "Oh, well, it wasn't like that." _Really Lance? That's exactly what it was like. _Sweets sighed. "I'm a terrible agent."

Cam giggled lightly and shook her head. "That's not what makes an agent Sweets."

The elevator dinged and the pair exited towards a hallway. They were led to an office for Dean Wittner whom the pair saw before entering, neither of them recognized the man. He held a stern expression however, one that Sweets noticed as they shook hands and exchanged introductions. Sweets felt the man was hiding something as Cam explained their visit, they were looking for details on an unknown man.

"Why would I know anything?" The man asked. Sweets hearing was very good and finely tuned. At a young age he would listen for footsteps – he could tell the distinct difference from non-committal to angry form being locked inside a closet, sounds taught him what people might do. When he got older he could tell when it was going to be a lie, a talent that left Booth to referring to him as a human lie detector. He listened closely again to the man trying to place the voice.

"Why is it you came to see _me _about this case?" The man asked while Sweets detected a sense of apprehension in the man's voice, one he was trying to hide.

"We found your business card at the scene." Sweets lied but Cam played along. Sweets did not want to implicate Genevieve in any way.

"Oh, well I don't know how it got there. I've never seen this man." The man handed the photo back to Cam.

"Are you sure?" Sweets asked looking for a sign the man was lying.

"Did you not hear me the first time?" The man asked annoyed but Sweets recgonized the phrase from before, he was reminded of wet and rain. Sweets bit tongue to not say anything, he knew who the man was, and the fact the man said nothing left him with many questions for he surely would have recognized Sweets.

"Right, sorry." Sweets said answering the man's question. "Well perhaps our victim just took the card out of one of those sandwich places.

Cam wondered why Sweets wasn't pushing this guy all and ready to leave all of a sudden.

"One last question if I may." Sweets said turning back to the man. "I noticed you have an accent, tell me, where are you from?"

"Great Britain, why?"

"Just curious." Sweets said his eyes leveling with the lying CIA agent. "Just thought I heard it once before."

Cam could feel the tension emanate between the two men but Sweets turned to leave, giving her a glance that suggested they should go.

* * *

><p>"Okay so what was that all about?" Cam asked as they headed back to the elevator. The elevator car was still several floors down so Sweets and Cam stepped off to the side to chat for a moment when something else caught Sweets' eye.<p>

"What now?" Cam asked looking at what Sweets saw.

Sweets pointed to the board that was propped on the gold easel. In the center of the board was a photo of a US Naval officer, it was a commemoration of his sudden passing.

"U.S. Navy Commander Cameron Mahaffey." Cam read on the board then it occurred to her why that sounded familiar. "That's the owner of the boat we went to see."

"Yeah and he was the other guy who was in the alley." Sweets said. "The one who told the other guy that I was an American."

"The two guys who roughed you up in the alley?" Cam half asked and half answered herself. "But who was the other guy?"

"The guy we just met, CIA agent Dean Wittner." Sweets said.

"That's why the room got chilly." Cam realized.

"I didn't recognize him, I didn't see him that night, and I recognized his voice."

"But he didn't say anything, why?" Cam asked. "Why did Genevieve send us here if she knew he was the man who did that to you?"

"That threw me for a loop." Sweets admitted while rubbing his head. "I think she figured he wouldn't do anything here and it gave us a good lead, and she knew we'd see this." Sweets said pointing to the board.

"Yeah but what good is he going to do us?" Cam said looking at the at the memorial board.

"Probably quite a bit." Sweets said pointing to the dates on the board. "According to this he died two weeks ago, I saw him only a couple days ago."

Cam rubbed her head as the elevator finally arrived and they boarded.

"A British agent?" Cam asked thinking of CIA agent Wittner. "Something seems off, Kensitas only in Britain."

"The cigarettes the unknown man had." Sweets said thinking back to them. "Could be a connection." Sweets mind seemed to be on something else.

"You're thinking about something." Cam observed as they left the elevator and headed for the door.

"When I first met Genevieve in the library she told me 'he is your spy' and I assumed he meant American. But why would Wittner or a US Navy officer want him dead?" Sweets guessed.

"Maybe they didn't, maybe it's the other set of people you suggested, like the guy who blew up the boat, he seemed to want to kill you." Cam said. "Because he's evil, not because…" Cam didn't like how it sounded what she had said about killing Sweets.

"I know Cam." Sweets said offering her a smile as he opened her door but stopped before she could get it. His eyes lit with an idea and Cam felt anticipation at what it would be, Sweets was generally very insightful. "He is _your _spy." Sweets repeated with his eyes aglow. "She didn't mean American, she meant FBI spy."

"Do they, do that sort of thing?" Cam asked.

"Not officially, but it's not beyond the FBI to send people in undercover, a thin line with spying. That would only be American surveillance however, the CIA would go overseas. There must be some sort of connection though between out unknown man, the CIA and the US Navy." Sweets finished saying when Cam's phone rang.

"Yeah." She said in the phone and then added "It's Hodgins." She explained to Sweets. "Right, we'll be right there." Cam hung up the phone. "Hodgins thinks he has cracked another one of the codes and has something to show us.

* * *

><p>Cam and Sweets arrived back at the Jeffersonian to see Hodgins busy at work. He was delighted when he had their attention. "ILIAOM" Hodgins announced proudly though Cam and Sweets only continued to stare at him. "The line of code, the only one that was crossed out, I figured out how it fits in our case."<p>

"It sound like gibberish." Cam announced.

"Stay with me here." Hodgins urged. "It sounded familiar to me when I was messing with the order of the letters in each line. Then I cross referenced the jumbled words with the people we knew from the case. The US Navy officer with the boat, Mahaffey – he was tied to a project titled Iliaom."

Sweets and Cam's interest was now raised at the connection.

"And why did you know about this project Dr. Hodgins?" Cam asked suspiciously.

"It caught the attention of a lot of conspiracy theorists." Hodgins explained. "The project was sucking down millions of dollars and then suddenly it's shut down."

"Sounds like government cut backs." Cam said unimpressed and Sweets nodded in agreement.

"What was the project?" Sweets asked.

"That's what really drew the interest." Hodgins said his eyes lit with excitement. "The project was in the shipyard on the coast and it was released as being built to develop new techniques to pump for oil in the ocean."

"Controversial but not quite conspiracy." Cam deduced.

"Yeah except no one thought that was what they were doing." Hodgins said. "How familiar are you with the Philadelphia Project?"

"A little." Cam said and Sweets nodded. "Some idea that there was an experiment carried out by the US Navy to make a ship disappear."

"Yeah but it was like a hoax." Sweets said earning an eye roll from Hodgins.

"The US Navy destroyer escort was at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1943 where they were working on ways to make the ship invisible. Think of it, what's the most valuable tool in wartime?" Hodgins posed the question.

"Guns?" Cam asked.

"Surprise attack." Sweets answered. "The US was still reeling for the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, they wanted to be invisible too, but more so."

"The project was based on an aspect of the unified field theory, a term coined by Albert Einstein. The theory aims to describe– mathematically and physically– the interrelated nature of the forces that comprise electromagnetic radiation and gravity—in other words, uniting the fields of electromagnetism and gravity into a single field." Arastoo explained joining them on the platform.

"Oh Dr. Vasiri, he has you too?" Cam asked concerned with Hodgins conspiracy claws.

"No, I am just explaining the theory." Arastoo explained. "There are no reliable, attributable accounts, but in most accounts of the experiment, the destroyer escort USS _Eldridge_ was fitted with the required equipment at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. Testing allegedly began in the summer of 1943, and it was supposedly successful to a limited degree. One test allegedly resulted in the _Eldridge_ being rendered almost completely invisible, with some witnesses reporting a "greenish fog" appearing in its place. Crew members supposedly complained of severe nausea afterwards. Also, it is said that when the ship reappeared, some sailors were embedded in the metal structures of the ship, including one sailor who ended up on a deck level below that where he began and had his hand embedded in the steel hull of the ship as well as some sailors who went completely nuts."

"So….." Cam said looking at Hodgins.

"So Project Iliaom was the rebirth of the Philadelphia Experiment." Hodgins explained. "Invisibility in war is just as important now as them. Imagine the ability to transport soldiers, ammo, everything from one place to another, invisibly."

"It's science fiction." Cam retorted.

"A lot of things thought of in World War II seemed like science fiction then but are everyday tools now." Sweets reminded her. "Can you imagine a cell phone in 1942? Goggle glasses, the internet, 3-D printers."

"Yeah but that's a far cry still from invisibility." Cam reminded him hoping someone around her was still sane.

"Never know till you try." Hodgins said. "Now you know why I like so many experiments."

"Well if they are going to result in people reappearing embedded in sheets of metal let's not." Cam warned.

"Where was this Project Iliaom taking place at?" Sweets asked in all seriousness.

"Same as the original, at the Philadelphia Shipyards." Hodgins explained. "For being shut down the place is pretty busy."

"Dr. Soroyan, I need you to look at these remains from the case Booth & Dr. Brennan sent over." Arastoo said to Cam.

Sweets watched as they left and thought of the danger Cam may have been in when they went to the CIA office. By them going there, Sweets knew that Agent Wittner knew they were not obeying his desire for them to be off the case. _Cam is safe here at the lab, _Sweets said to himself. He mulled over an idea that he had, _if I can get this case wrapped up then everyone is out of danger and this is all over. _Sweets nodded to himself with resolve, slipping out to drive to the Philadelphia Shipyards. He couldn't however shake the feeling in his stomach, the same one he used to get as a kid when something was about to go wrong, dangerously wrong.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

_Thanks for the great reviews - they totally get me fired up to write more. And now that things are settling down at work and the house I'm getting in the right mindset to write more! Not only do I need to finish this one and baby daddy but I have a fun idea for one about fires. I sort of like Sweets in the lead, I might have to do another one of those._

It dark by the time Sweets arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyards. He knew Hodgins was right, for a shipyard that had been defunded it seemed fairly active. He pulled up to the security booth where the man stepped out.

"What can I help you with?" The guard asked stepping up to Sweets window. The cool air came in making Sweets blink. It wasn't that cold when he had left the Jeffersonian but being on the water it was cooler and the overall temperatures had dropped in the last day.

Sweets informed the man of who he was and that he was investigating a case. He was then pointed towards an office not far where Sweets pulled up and parked in one of the spaces. He wished he had brought a coat but instead hurried into the office. After some pleasantries with Lt. Richard Cole who was the plant manager Sweets got down to business.

"What kind of work is done here?" Sweets asked.

"Busy work." Lt. Cole answered back, straining to be cordial at the line of questions he knew was coming.

"I thought that project Iliaom was shut down." Sweets said looking for lies in the man's answers though Sweets doubted the middle management man knew much more that what he would be told to say.

"It was sir, this is another project, simple reconstruction of a ship that was damaged." Cole explained.

"Then why can't I look around?" Sweets asked suspiciously.

"There are still secret components that we would not want the enemy to see sir." The man explained.

"Not even the FBI?" Sweets asked.

"No sir." The man backed up, a suggestion that he was done with the conversation. "If you can gain the proper papers you may return and I can give you a complete tour."

The man showed Sweets to the door. He wasn't completely satisfied with the answers but he also wasn't completely convinced of Hodgins's theory either. Neither seemed as interesting as the sight he saw after Lt. Cole shut the door - the sight of the supposedly dead Navy Officer Mahaffey walking into one of the buildings. Sweets looked back at his car and while he knew this was trespassing on government property and a total no-no he also knew that keep down, just like when he was a kid who didn't get down out of the jungle gym - he was still a person who didn't like to listen to what he was told.

Sweets was wearing a dark suit and under the dark of the night and the sparsely lit exteriors he easily made his way to the large hanger where he saw the officer go into. Sweets quietly slipped in the door and found himself among a myriad of boxes and crates. An area farther from him was lit but he did not want to get too close. The warehouse was cold and he resisted the urge to shiver as he made his way thru the maze of packaging and up a metal staircase to a loft office that looked down. He remained in the shadows as he listened to the conversation taking place below.

"He was at your office today?" Mahaffey asked the man across from him that Sweets now recognized as CIA Agent Dean Wittner who was nodding yes. "Well how the hell did he know to find you there?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Wittner all but shouted back, he seemed to have problems containing his temper though he was trying. "You should have let me kill him, at least one of the three times!"

"No!" Mahaffey demanded in a commanding presence that Wittner backed down instantly from. "He is only doing his job, I would commend him for his perseverance if he wasn't such a pest. His timing is just bad."

"Yeah well that brings up a good question, how much longer is this all going to take?" Wittner asked.

Mahaffey sighed and rubbed his head. "I don't know the tests aren't going as well as we hoped. The theory is solid but we're having too many messy results."

"Too many more of those messy results and we're going to have to find another place besides Davenport State Hospital. They're only going to take so many of them without asking questions." Wittner warned Mahaffey.

Sweets knew of Davenport, an old mental asylum that was shut down 8 years ago for its awful treatment of the mentally ill. He was curious how and when it reopened for business.

"We're close." Mahaffey said bringing Sweets attention back to the present. "We just need a little more time. Those that are afflicted, they have given part of themselves for the good of the country."

"I hope so." Wittner said seemingly unconvinced. "If that agent doesn't spoil things."

Mahaffey was shaking his head and Sweets knew they were talking about him. "Enough good agents have died on our side." Sweets wondered if Mahaffey was speaking of the unknown man. "What about Lumiere?"

Sweets was curious of the new name being mentioned.

"What about him?" Wittner asked.

"If that agent Sweets and the woman, Dr. Soroyan were there when my boat blew up we know they didn't do it." Mahaffey said.

"No one is going to catch Lumiere." Wittner warned him. "If possible I would have caught him myself by now."

Mahaffey seemed to not think as well of Wittner as he did of himself. "Did Lumiere do it- on the boat?"

"If so all the evidence went with it." Wittner replied.

"We know he never talked." Mahaffey said with a heavy heart, Sweets assumed they were again referring to the unknown man. Sweets took out his phone to text the name Lumiere to Cam. Wittner's phone began to beep.

"What's that?" Mahaffey asked.

"It signals me when there is a cell phone being used nearby." Wittner explained causing Sweets to reach for the power button on his phone after he hit send. He now had a good idea why there was no cell phone on their unknown man, a fact that he seemed to know that Wittner also knew.

"Goodbye!" Sweets phone seemed to shout in the echoing metal building.

"There!" Wittner shouted in the direction it came from.

Sweets knew he couldn't go down the steps so he raced in the opposite direction hoping there was another way out. He was pretty sure that he had used up his last freebie with these guys.

Luckily the warehouse was being utilized for a great deal of storage so Sweets found many places to hide. With his fine-tuned hearing he listened for a sound, any sound. For what seemed like forever but was only seconds he heard nothing. He turned to look at one of the crates beside him and noted a peculiar odor, one he was not familiar with. He looked to the crate marked 'DUMP' and was curious if the material was being discarded properly. He maneuvered silently away from it and behind another, this one had fallen and the same smell was there but stronger. Sweets realized the previous smell was coming from this box which held a broken container. The liquid coming from it was green, a bright green. Sweets touched the side of the box to stand up from his crouched position and fingers touched some of the liquid on the side. He pulled his hand back as the liquid unexpectedly gave his fingers a burning sensation. Unprepared for the surprise he jumped back hitting another box making a sound. A few shots rang out and Sweets ran again, his heart pounding. He was pretty sure it was a blind firing, the shooter hoping he would hit something. Sweets made his way around a few more crates in the large warehouse. He could hear leather footsteps still following him so he kept going but suddenly felt a tired urge to stop.

Sweets felt oddly warm and looked to his side wondering where it was coming from. It was then he saw his white button down shirt filling with a crimson liquid the fibers. _Oh shit _Sweets said to himself. He hadn't completely realized what was going on, his adrenaline was running so high he had kept going.

"Lumiere!" Wittner shouted. "I'm going to get you this time…"

Sweets knew he was in trouble if they thought he was this Lumiere, someone they were deeply desiring to kill. He didn't think that telling them he was the pesky agent who wasn't heeding to their threats was going to help either. Sweets pushed against the box and was back on his feet but now that he was on concrete his leather soled shoes were giving him away just as they had the other two. He stopped again, the pain intensifying in his side and he pulled his shoes off. He clutched his bleeding right side with his right hand trying to apply pressure but it did little good as he continued to try and run though the movement was intensely painfully with each step. Sweets imagined dying was much worse and pushed past the pain and concentrated on getting to the other side of the hanger and slipping out somehow - it was all he had to go on right now.

His lack of shoes helped mask his whereabouts as the pair in pursuit found his shoes but not the man in them. Sweets did however still give himself away with a trail of blood.

Sweets paused again, the other end of the warehouse seemed the length of several football fields. He felt sweaty and hot, his hands shaking and he knew it was the blood loss that was causing it to occur. He knew the more he moved the worse he was making it but he knew by stopping it was all going to be over. His face was now so pale that it almost seemed as though he would glow in the dark but still Sweets pressed on, the Navy & CIA in pursuit only a short distance back but Sweets was able to elude them in the maze of crates.

Sweets reached the end of the warehouse but the doors wouldn't open, they were locked - he was trapped inside. He knew the pair were close behind him. As it was on the other side of the building there was a small staircase to a loft office above. Sweets ascended the stairs and after trying the office door, which was locked, stayed close to the floor, an open grate pattern that allowed him to see between the slats below.

He made no noise as he lay with his back to the grate, hoping the black suit would mask his appearance should they look up, on his front his white- almost red shirt may give him away. He tilted his head to the side and looked down to see the pair searching between the tall piles of parcels below.

"Anything?" Wittner loudly whispered to Mahaffey.

"Nothing. How the hell did he get out?"

"Lumiere is a tricky one, like I said, you haven't gotten him yet." Mahaffey half taunted Wittner. The pair were now standing directly below Sweets who lay on the ground still, trying not to make a single noise, he was hoping they were about to give up.

"He can't know anything." Wittner stressed.

"Well he sure as hell knows something if he's here." Mahaffey let out a long sigh. "It's late and it's dark and it's cold. We scared him off."

"You're the boss." Wittner said but as Mahaffey went to make a step a red streak appeared on his cheek. Mahaffey put his hand to his cheek and touched it, seeing the red liquid on his fingertips now.

"What the…?" Mahaffey asked feeling a second drop. Both men looked up to see the figure above them lying flat.

The pair broke out in a run towards the steps causing Sweets to scramble to his feet but the blood loss and the pain were making it near impossible as well as the fact his vision and senses were blurring.

"There!" Mahaffey shouted causing Sweets turned to see Wittner pointing his gun at Sweets, pulling the trigger to fire again. "No!" Mahaffey shouted pushing Wittner's hand causing the gun to fire into the ceiling. Sweets though had taken another few steps back instinctively to get away from the shots fired and fell back over the railing. He did not fall too far as he landed on a large crate below. He turned to run but found he could not move, darkness surrounded him as he heard footsteps running to the edge of the railing he fell from.

* * *

><p>"What's the confused face?" Arastoo asked Cam as she looked at her phone.<p>

"A text from Sweets - Lumiere." She explained.

"Like the Lumiere Brothers? Inventors of the movie camera?" Arastoo asked.

"I thought Edison invented the movie camera." Cam asked.

"Well there's quite a story there." Arastoo said giving her a grin. "But why would Sweets text you that. Where did he go anyway? We went to work and he left."

"Yeah, I don't know. I'm going to try and call him. Rats. Voicemail." Cam said hanging up.

"Should we worry, seems like recent events…."

Cam smiled a big smile.

"What?" Arastoo asked of the smile.

"Well if Sweets up to more like he was last night with a pretty lady, let's just be happy that his luck is changing."

* * *

><p>Sweets eyes creaked open like an old heavy door on rusted hinges. As soon as the ocular devices opened he found the desire to quickly return to the blissful state of unconsciousness from before. He didn't because he recalled what happened when he was last conscious and felt a profound and urgent desire to figure out where he currently was.<p>

It took several tries to get his eyes to open, seeing only a dark room with a limited amount of moonlight coming in a small window. He was on his back on a bed that was none too soft or comfy in a room that was chilly to the bone. Besides a brief hint at his surroundings he immediately felt the sting of the pain in his side. He made a motion to touch it but his arms would not move. This caused his eyes to open wide at the worrisome restrained feeling only to see that his hands were at his sides in medical leather restraints. His heart rate increased as he continued to assess the situation, his side was no longer bleeding, he could feel a thin bandage over it but he had been given no pain medication so the pain stung deep and hard in his side. He was not wearing a hospital gown but instead a scrub-like pair of pants and shirt. He looked around the room he was in but it was not an up to date hospital but rather a fairly dirty, dated and unmaintained facility.

"Hey! Hey!" Sweets shouted for help. His side stung as he moved so he tried to limit the movements though a shiver had begun to take over that he tried to control, due to the cold. As a kid when he was locked in the closet he knew where he was, right now he had no clue and he was attempting to stave off a panic attack on top of a gunshot wound and possible freezing conditions.

Finally the old metal door swung open as a man in a doctor's coat came in.

Sweets voice was hoarse and dry as he spoke. "Thank God, I'm Dr. Lance Sweets, I'm with the FBI, there's been a mistake." Sweets didn't know what the mistake was but he was damn sure he was happier in the bed he was in last night as opposed to tonight.

"Right, a doctor _and _an FBI agent." The man said with amusement. "Look, we get a lot of you types here. You've done a great service to your country, now just relax and let us take care of you."

Sweets realized that the doctor thought he was insane - then Sweets recalled back at the warehouse when Mahaffey and Wittner referred to the experiments going wrong - much like the Philadelphia Experiment had supposedly left the sailors who weren't imbedded in the ship, they were left insane. _Oh God is that experiment true, is it happening again? _Sweets wondered to himself but mostly he realized that while he wasn't a discarded member of the experiment he had been stuck here with them - at Davenport State Hospital, the horrible hospital that had been shut down was reopened - a place to send people you wanted to get rid of. _Oh crap _Sweets said realizing his situation as the doctor was leaving.

"No! Wait!" Sweets urged feeling desperate. "Agent Wittner and Officer Mahaffey, I know them, they can tell you who I am."

The doctor's face went pale then he turned to the doorway and nodded to a man who walked in with a small tray. Sweets watched as the doctor's expression grew grim and picked up the syringe from the tray and came towards Sweets with it. Sweets tried to back away but he was restrained in place.

"What are you doing?" Sweets asked watching the needle come closer to him. The other man hovered over and pointed to Sweets side.

"He's popped some stitches." The other man said. "He could bleed out."

"Ah, yes." The doctor said as she pushed the medication into Sweets' arm. "It doesn't really matter."

Sweets heard the words but he couldn't say or do anything more as his body was forced into a relaxed state and his mind began to drift away and into darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

11.

_A little more action ahead, hope you are enjoying. Considering another story with Sweets leading a case, should it be Cam again? Angela? Hodgins?_

_Wesley, hope the story is giving you something to read while you work on feeling better! :)_

* * *

><p>The next morning limited light came in the window that woke Sweets though he had little ability to move. He watched the light as it slithered along the wall and tried to estimate the time of day. His body felt lifeless and tired, a small cough was taking over in his chest though he tried his best not to move. Any movement only irritated his side and flared up the growing number of conditions he knew he was experiencing.<p>

The drug was wearing off and increasing his consciousness though it was not clearing up his mobility. It must have been around noon when the light made its way down the wall suggesting the sun was overhead that the door opened again and a man appeared with a tray. He sat it on the table by Sweets bed without locking eyes with the young doctor, he removed the restraints and left the room.

Sweets eyed the tray just above his view and while it certainly smelled nothing like a five star meal he strongly desired some nourishment that may revitalize his movements. Glad that his arms were free he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position though the change in position left him completely exhausted.

Taking a few breaths he checked his side only to see the bandage had been hastily redressed, such that a new had been added over the old, the popped stitches were still loose, the blood had congealed against the bandage stopping the bleeding. He knew it was a piss poor mess of a fix but he had to concentrate on getting out of the hospital.

He made quick work of eating the bread, water and pile of beans on the plate knowing the man would be back for them soon. He scrambled to his feet and made his way to the door via leaning against the wall to support his weight and his staggering momentum. He held the metal tray in his hand and waited behind the door. As he suspected the quiet man returned to the room and opened the door. When the man moved into the room to look for his missing patient Sweets slipped out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him, locking the man in the room. Sweets had to smile to himself at the simplicity of the moment.

The man immediately began to yell so Sweets made a wobbly exit down the hall and was only a short distance away when he was spotted and yelled at to stop. Sweets attempted to run but fell short, literally of making it to a stairwell when he realized any real attempt at escape was futile in the far more heavily staffed place than Sweets had planned on. The rooms were lined with far more patients than he had imagined, a scarier aspect than he had assumed. Another nurse met him at the stairwell door and though Sweets knew it was a bad idea he swung the metal tray at the male nurse in a last attempt to escape. The giant shrugged off the impressive metal blow and shared one of his own across Sweets face which threw him off kilter to one side and followed it up with a second that sent him to the floor and a third blow that was a nasty reminder that his side was badly injured.

He vaguely recalled being literally dragged back to his room by his arm down the hall as the familiar doctor was in tow with another syringe. Though this was not ideal, the forerunning thought was the fact no one knew where he was.

* * *

><p>"Cam you're going to wear tracks in the floor." Hodgins said biting his nails.<p>

"Yeah and you keep it up and you're going to be called nubs." Angela said nodding to his apparently delectable fingernails.

"I just know something is wrong." Cam said continuing to pace the floor. "Sweets isn't a guy who doesn't answer his phone and not show up to work."

Arastoo walked in the lab shaking his head. "No one home." He said taking off his coat. "And it got rather chilled out, this cold front is fierce."

"Okay, I'm calling the FBI, maybe Booth, maybe geez who do I call?" Cam asked confused to a room of people who were equally confused.

"Sure but I doubt they are going to do much, where do they begin?" Hodgins asked. "I mean he's probably working on the case and we hardly understand the case, it will take hours to explain it to someone else."

"I _hate_ to say it but Hodgins is right." Cam said rethinking her call for help.

"Um, thanks?" Hodgins commented.

"What are you saying Cam?" Angela asked following Cam to the table where the evidence lay.

"I'm saying that we're the most equipped to figure this out, we're the most familiar with the case." Cam said. "And based on what we've experienced so far I think Dr. Sweets is alive but he could be in a bad situation, these people do not seem to want to kill anyone."

"Except for the boat explosives guy, he seemed to want to kill Sweets." Hodgins reminded them earning angry glances at thoughts they didn't want to hear.

"Okay so last we were talking about was the crazy experiment Hodgins was talking about." Cam said looking at the evidence board.

"Again, thank you." Hodgins commented sarcastically.

"Do you think he went there?" Angela asked pointing to the images Hodgins had pulled from the Naval Shipyards.

"If so it would be a great place to get in trouble." Arastoo said weighing the dangers.

"Alright, I'm going." Cam declared.

"I don't think I sold the idea properly." Arastoo said pausing her. "It's dangerous." He reiterated.

"I'm just going to go and see what they know." Cam promised. "I won't get into trouble. Angela, can you try and track Sweets phone. I know it's off but maybe just try something, Hodgins maybe figure out who that Lumiere is from Sweets last text last night. Dr. Vasiri, you're in charge of the lab."

"Arastoo?! But he's an intern!" Hodgins whined.

"And he doesn't do dangerous experiments." Cam said as she rushed to the door.

* * *

><p>It took some time to get to the shipyards but soon Cam was shown to the office of Lt. Cole who insisted he had never seen or met with a Dr. Sweets. Cam didn't have the lie detecting abilities Sweets had but she had a funny feeling about this lieutenant. Still she thanked him for his time and wondered if Sweets had never made it to the shipyard. She scanned the parking lot for his car but didn't see it there.<p>

She got in her car and pulled away wondering where her partner had gone off to. She was heading back towards DC when she spotted a car behind her. She made several turns but still the car was following her. Cam wondered if Sweets had been ambushed the night before but she grew angry when she recognized the person driving the car that was following her. Cam pressed on the gas quickly leaving the car behind and turned the corner. Soon the car turned the corner as well and Cam sat up in her seat and pulled out of the parking space she had pulled into and was now following the car that was following her. As they pulled down a quiet street she raced upon the rear of the car and tapped it. The driver's head shot up and saw Cam behind – embodied in road rage. Cam bumped the car again, harder this time and then again with the third time being a bump to the side of the car spinning it off the road. Cam pulled her car off the road and up to the driver's side. She got out and ran up to the driver's side door before the driver could run.

"Where is he!?" Cam shouted to Genevieve who rested back in her seat knowing she had been bested.

"If you had given me a chance I was going to tell you." Genevieve said getting out and looking at her wrecked car. "How am I going to explain this one to the insurance company too?"

"You seem to have connections to people with cover ups." Cam said none too pleased with the mysterious woman's presence.

"You don't understand me." Genevieve protested.

"You don't give me a very good chance." Cam retorted.

"We need to get out of here." Genevieve said. "My car is no condition, you drive."

"Not a problem." Cam said happy to be in the driver's seat. She knew of Genevieve's way of attracting a custom fit police squad in her wake so she was more than happy to get away from the scene."

"So where is he, is he okay?" Cam asked eagerly as they pulled away from the scene.

"He is at a place called Davenport State Hospital." Genevieve said keeping an eye on the roads around her.

"Davenport? That place was shut down."

"It was, then it was reopened for some private use."

"You're going to have to start making more sense girly." Cam demanded tired of the elusive talk.

"I'm sure by now, knowing that Dr. Sweets was at the shipyards of the once known Philadelphia Experiment, that you have an idea of what is going on. Well, attempts were made to resurrect the project. You can ask but that is the depth of my knowledge about that. I only know that there were several failed attempts and that several of the sailors who knew nothing of those stationed there before them, would go insane at each trial. They had so many they couldn't hide them in enough hospitals so they reopened Davenport to care for the inflicted men."

"How many?!" Cam asked shocked.

"At least one hundred."

"A hundred service men?!" Cam asked outraged. "What sick bast…."

"It's the age old question Dr. Soroyan, do you let one man die to save thousands?"

"Sounds like there's more than one." Cam said when a dark thought occurred to her. "Did Sweets get involved in an experiment?"

"No, from what I gathered he was spying and was caught. Davenport is place they put people when they want them to be quiet. It's where I was after my accident. I was released upon the promise to keep the secret."

"You don't listen well." Cam joked.

"Neither do you or Dr. Sweets." She returned. "And it's because of that that I place myself in danger. You and Dr. Sweets have risked much to solve this case. I want to help."

The afternoon was getting late as Genevieve instructed Cam on how to get to Davenport. A light mist picked up as they drew closer.

"Is Sweets okay?" Cam asked concerned.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him. I know they don't wish to kill him, but that doesn't mean that the people at Davenport will go out of their way to fulfill their orders. It's a terrible facility." Genevieve shuddered as she said the last line. Cam pressed on the gas a little harder.

* * *

><p>It was dark when the pair was near the hospital. Genevieve pointed to a bridge under which she should park to avoid being detected.<p>

Cam looked surprised. "Are we breaking in? Why can't we tell them who we are and…"

Genevieve gave Cam a determined look. "You must trust me on this. We must get your friend out secretly or we'll all end up there. I know my way around, we can get him out quietly if you listen to me."

"How do I know this isn't a trap for me? How do you know your way around?" Cam speculated.

Genevieve sighed. "I know I have not always been straightforward with you and Dr. Sweets. But I told you what I knew at the time, I want you to solve this case, I want to see nothing bad happen to either of you." She paused while thinking of how to answer the next question. "I worked at Davenport when it was open the last time as a social worker. It's how I knew about the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, it was given to me by a Patient. Now, I can explain all of this later but we must get your friend now, this is our chance as the shift is going to change."

Cam wanted to answers while they were coming but she wanted to find Sweets more so allowed the line of questions with the mysterious woman to pause for now.

The pair climbed the hill towards the imposing gothic structure. The brick and mason structure looked as chilling in reality as it would be imagined. The dark of the night and the light rain with a deep chill in the air only worsened the anticipation of their task at hand, penetrating the historic dreadful asylum to hopefully find their friend and escape with their own lives.

Genevieve slipped thru a gap in the old wrought iron fence near a tree. She entered it with ease, solidifying the notion that she knew this campus well. Cam followed her to a kitchen entrance which at this late hour was empty. They headed to a closet where Genevieve removed white coats upon which both donned to fit in should they be seen. With clipboards in hand they casually but tensely walked the halls. Genevieve walked by a nurses station and quickly located a clipboard and running her finger down a list found the room she was looking for based on the admittance date, the names were all falsified so looking for Sweets name would do little good.

Before anyone could return the ladies quickly left the station, Cam following Genevieve and dodging possible people along the ways. At night the place was sparsely employed.

"Where is everyone?" Cam whispered.

"At night they drug the patients so few are on staff." Genevieve explained in a low voice. "This is the best time to try and find him."

"Why all the paper work, I haven't seen a single computer." Cam asked at the antiquated beds, medical supplies and technology.

"This isn't a place to cure people Dr. Soroyan, they are merely maintain and hiding. Technology could leave a paper trail. I will guarantee you when this is all done the entire place will be gone from a mysterious and unknown case of arson. Files could be send out electronically, if everything is paper, well paper burns, quickly."

Cam glanced quickly in the small windows to the rooms of the patients, one per room and each the same, drugged and staring at the ceiling or asleep. The sheer number of people in this situation made her stomach churn and strengthened her desire to solve this case and get them all help. She could not help today, but she vowed she would be back for them and some real medical help.

"Here." Genevieve said causing Cam to be drawn away from her thoughts of the men stuck here.

"Keys?"

"They all unlock from the outside, just not the inside. Allows the doctors to respond faster." Genevieve said pulling on the heavy metal door hoping it would not creak too loudly. She opened it methodically, as though she had many times before and it didn't make a sound. She placed the clipboard in the door so the door would not shut and thus lock them in.

Once in the room Cam's stomach sank at the sight of Sweets on the bed. Though it had only been a day he was extremely pale, thin and expressionless as his eyes stared at the ceiling. Cam ran to the bed and put her hand on Sweets cheek hoping the touch would cause a reaction. Sweets lay still and unresponsive even as Cam took her other hand and moved his head so it was facing her. His eyes never locked hers though she could tell there was still life in them. A purple bruise marked the side of his face from the blow the day before. A small line of drool seeped from his lips and Cam knew he was in little condition to escape.

"I'll get a wheelchair." Genevieve promised and turned to leave.

Cam noticed that Sweets cheek under the palm of her hand was chilly. She turned her hand over and pressed the back of her hand against his cheek which as still cool. She turned to take a pulse on his wrist only to see it was restrained. She was suddenly filled with anger at the look of her partner in his current state. She was filled with a desire to lash out at someone for doing such a thing and equally sick at the sight.

She quickly removed the restraint and took a pulse, steady but slow. She went to remove the restraint on his far hand when she saw traces of blood. Feeling a panic arise but hardly able to see in the dark room she turned Sweets towards her to see a poorly dressed wound on his side.

Genevieve returned to the room with the wheelchair.

"What's been done to him?!" Cam quietly shouted.

"Drugged as far as I know, why?" Genevieve asked.

"I can't tell but something…"

"We need to go, we don't have much time." Genevieve said. "We can help him more once we are away from here."

Cam felt in agreement and now free they moved the lanky and unresponsive Sweets to the wheelchair. Sweets slumped to the side in the wheelchair as Cam tried to casually push it towards the elevator. The entered it and went down a floor and began to head out the way they came in. Cam noticed Sweets begin to shiver and wasn't surprised based on his possible blood loss and sparse clothing. The bed he was on had no blankets to shield from the cold, not even a pair of socks.

"Wait, how are we going to get him to the car?" Cam asked thinking of Sweets lacking mobility.

Genevieve pointed to another exit. "We will need to be careful but there is a ramp at the delivery dock. It's not as ideal but it is quiet at this time unless they bring a new patient in. We should be able to push him down the drive but if you see any headlights we must duck."

Cam agreed and with pounding hearts they headed towards the door.

"Hey doc!" Someone shouted to them. They both froze in place. "Hey doc we need your help!"

Genevieve turned towards Cam and spoke in a low voice. "You go, I'll meet you at the car."

Genevieve turned around to the male nurse who only saw someone in a doctor's coat and not who she was. Genevieve played along and promised the help the nurse with the patient. Cam pushed Sweets down the hill but once she reached the gate to get out she found it locked. She pulled Sweets in the wheelchair into the overgrown brush that surrounded the facility in its years of disuse.

The rain had picked up as did Sweets shiver. The cold and moisture however seemed to be allowing him to be increasingly alert. Cam looked at Sweets shiver and took off her coat to put around him. Before she could put it around his shoulders his hand came up to stop her. She looked at him as he shook his head motioning lightly for her to put it back on.

"Sweets, it's freezing and you've been exposed to the cold much longer than I." Cam said sternly putting it around him.

Cam could tell Sweets was trying to concentrate on saying something.

"What is it Sweets?" She asked leaning in.

"Go." He slurred.

"Yes we're going as soon as Genevieve gets back."

"No." Sweets said and swallowed hard before slurring again. "You go, too dangerous."

"No Sweets." Cam said firmly as the rain began to fall steadily on them. "That's not what partners do."

"Hey." A voice said making them both jump though it wasn't loud. Cam looked to see Genevieve searching for them. Cam stepped out of the bushes to signal to Genevieve.

"I'm glad I thought you were going to be stuck there." Cam said.

"I told him I would go for some medication, he's going to figure out I'm gone soon and figure something is up." Genevieve said while pulling on the gate.

"It's locked." Cam said.

"That's new, it was just stuck before." Genevieve looked around. "We'll have to go out how we came in then."

Cam looked down at the soggy earth under her feet. "I doubt we can push the wheelchair thru this."

"We'll have to carry him." Genevieve said approaching Sweets who looked ready to argue.

"Forget it Sweets, we're not leaving you." Cam said taking one of his arms over hers and Genevieve on the other. Though tall he was so drawn from the most recent events that he was far too light for comfort. Under the adrenaline of scurrying to make an escape in time the pair found much strength anyway.

As the escapees neared the fence where they came in the exterior lights began to come on causing them to rush thru the opening of the fence. They rushed to the car as more lights came on and people could be heard entering the grounds. The descent to the car was tricky and hindered them getting to the car. At one point Sweets head rolled back causing a panic to rise in Cam but she had little time to address it and soon they reached the car.

"I'll drive." Genevieve suggested. "You get in the back with him."

Cam quickly handed Genevieve the keys and none too softly tossed Sweets in the back seat then quickly got in herself. Before the door was shut Genevieve slammed her foot to the accelerator. Cam felt something warm and wet against her hand, she looked to where it was placed on Sweets side only to see her hand and his side were thick with crimson.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

_I had a lot of this written Friday night but not finished, then I got preoccupied with projects till now. Hope you enjoy – a little 'insight' before some more action._

* * *

><p>Genevieve nervously glanced in the rear view mirror having caught a glance of Cam holding her hand up, both of them seeing the blood on her hands. Sweets merely groaned as Cam turned him to his side but was careful not to let him fall off the back seat. The automobile was not an ideal observation and medical assessment space but she would have to work with what they had.<p>

"What is it?" Genevieve asked at the sight of the blood.

"I don't know for sure, I can't see much." Cam reached up to turn on the light but Genevieve stopped her.

"No no! Get down!" Genevieve shouted at seeing a car coming up behind them.

Cam lay against the seat, close to Sweets to avoid detection. She watched as the psychologist's eyes rolled around and wondered if the motion of the car was wreaking havoc with the drugs in his system. Her attention however was drawn back to the car following them.

The car was silent save for the sound of the engine, the rain against the exterior and the labored breathing from the young doctor. The headlight got bright as the car behind them came closer. The women felt their nerves shoot to high alert at the prospect of being caught when the car whirred around them and took off quickly having passed them.

Both breathed a sigh but being cautious Genevieve went ahead and turned down a different road. After she caught her breath she glanced back at Cam.

"What do we do? Do we take him to a hospital?" Genevieve asked.

"No, I want to stay off the grid for now." Cam responded. "It sounds strange but I don't trust hospitals, especially since they'll be looking for him."

"Well where can we go that you do trust?" Genevieve asked at the sight of the increasingly pale figure on the seat.

"Only one place I can think of."

* * *

><p>Hodgins took to pacing in the same spot Cam had earlier and now Angela was the one biting her nails. Arastoo was busy triple checking the items he had rounded up after receiving Cam's phone call. She hadn't been specific much more than telling them she was bringing Sweets there, he was injured and they couldn't trust anyone for now. It was past nine and the Jeffersonian was empty save for them and some on site security.<p>

"What's taking so long?" Hodgins asked angrily.

Angela sighed heavily, "I don't know but she'd better…"

"We're here." Cam announced coming in the door, Genevieve at her side, Sweets between them. The others rushed to help the pair nearly dragging the sickly figure between them.

"What the hell happened?" Hodgins asked his eyes wide for when Cam said injured he pictured a sprained ankle or something.

"Cam, my God are you okay?" Angela said rushing forward at the sight of blood on her dress. Arastoo was about to panic when Cam motioned to calm them.

"It's not mine its Sweets." Cam said now following Hodgins and Arastoo who took Sweets to one of their examination tables. It felt somewhat wrong, these tables were to examine the deceased, not put the living on but they were working with what they had available to them.

"Cam, he needs a hospital." Arastoo said now that Sweets lay on the table. Though the others noticed he called her Cam and not Dr. Soroyan they said little due to the fact that they were all much more worried about their ailing friend.

"I know." Cam said. "But we can't go there, trust me, I'll explain everything but let's get to work first."

"Hey where are you doing?" Angela shouted at Genevieve who was slowly backing out of the room.

"I'll cuff you to the railing if I have to." Cam warned. Genevieve nodded that she understood and that she would stay. She had only wished to get Sweets back to them and leave but she had to admit to herself that she did feel safe here and even more, she wanted to see if Sweets was going to be okay, he looked awful at the moment.

"What's the source of the bleeding?" Hodgins asked taking Sweets' temperature. Angela found a pillow from Brennan's couch and put it under Sweets head so he wasn't lying directly on the cold metal table.

"It's somewhere here." Arastoo said looking at Sweets side while trying not to move him much. He was still shivering so Angel set out to find a blanket, helping out where she could while the others did medical assistance. She tried to ignore the shaky worry in her hands as she searched.

"101.5" Hodgins said. "And he's shaking like he's freezing."

Sweets eyes would alternate from open to sliding shut and returning alert again - but overall he was still not able to speak clearly or have a hard grasp on reality. Something Hodgins noticed.

"Does he have a head injury?" Hodgins asked noticing the bruise on Sweets face and his delirious state.

"No, I'm pretty sure not. He was injected with some drugs, we need to find out what and how much. So we need to get a blood test to run a tox screen." Cam ordered and Arastoo reached for the syringe causing Sweets eyes to widen with fear and try to scoot off the table. Hodgins grabbed him to keep him from getting to the edge but Sweets reacted worse thinking someone was holding him down.

"What's going on?" Hodgins asked, surprised how hard it was to hold onto such a thin man who possessed far more strength than he had guessed.

"He thinks he's back at the asylum." Cam figured out.

"Asylum?!" Arastoo & Hodgins asked in near unison.

"Later." She said to them then turned to Sweets. "Dr. Sweets, please calm down."

It wasn't working and Cam grew concerned Sweets may put himself in cardiac arrest. Angela stepped in and grabbed Sweets hand.

"Sweetie it's me." She said in her calmest of voices. "It's Angela. This isn't a dream, you're at the lab. Cam got you out, you're here with us. We're going to help you okay?"

Sweets stopped squirming to get away but he wasn't relaxed just yet. He seemed to be deciding if this was real or his mind and the drugs playing tricks on him.

"You know it's me Sweets, you can feel this is real." Angela said squeezing his hand. Sweets finally relaxed some but seemed much calmer while still holding Angela's hand. She sat opposite his injured side to continue to talk and calm him but holding his hand but she couldn't cover the shivering figure with the blanket she found. Genevieve stepped forward to spread the blanket across him and then moved back out of the way. Sweets began to calm more under the warmth of the blanket and the calming sounds of Angela's voice. It was so much so that he hardly flinched when Arastoo drew a blood sample. Hodgins left temporarily to run the results the returned while they processed.

"Angela?" Sweets asked making her want to cry, she was overjoyed that he was speaking and knew who she was.

"Yes sweetie, I'm right here."

"Okay, good." Sweets said relaxing. That was until Cam pulled back the bandage on his side. Sweets face changed from a near calm to a pained grimace.

"What the hell?" Hodgins asked looking at the bandage.

"This has not been properly dressed at all." Arastoo said looking at the wound. "These stitches are not done properly, many of them are loose!"

"I see the cause." Cam said. "It's a gunshot!" She said surprised.

"Mahaffey and Wittner must have fired." Genevieve guessed out loud. "If they had wanted him dead he would be. It must have been some sort of mistake. I'm sure they asked the doctors to fix it, but at Davenport…."

"Why do you defend them so?" Arastoo asked when she spoke of the two men.

"Later, right now we have a bigger issue." Cam explained as she continued to examine the damage. "The bullet has not been removed."

"You've got to be kidding me." Hodgins said as his machine beeped with results of the tox screen.

"We need to get him medicated and get this out." Cam said while Arastoo turned to get some pain killers.

"Not a good idea." Hodgins warned. "Tox results back, these are some _very _strong drugs, if they are still in his system you don't want to give him pain killers."

Sweets twisted at the pain his side was causing him.

"Come on guys let's do something." Angela said impatiently as she watched Sweets face try and suppress the intense pain.

Cam sighed. "Not only is this severely infected but the bullet is still there."

"The bullet must be removed." Arastoo deduced.

"Do it." Sweets said.

Cam shook her head "Sweets we can't…"

"Just hurry dammit." He said still slurring slightly.

Cam hated it but she knew that he knew that she was right. With Hodgins and Arastoo holding him still on his side and Angela clutching his hand tight, her other hand on his cheek trying to say reassuring things, as Cam took a pair of long skinny tongs and began to dig as delicately and as quickly as possible to find the awry ammunition. Sweets tried not to move but the pain was severe and didn't stop when Cam removed the shell. He tried to control his breathing while Arastoo immediately began to dress the area and remove the infected area and treat it properly. Hodgins assisted with quick and nimble hands and the injury once so poorly treated was now properly remedied. The trio sighed a relief as they gently laid Sweets on his back, noticing the man's increasing exhaustion but a slight relief of the pain he had endured earlier.

"Better." Sweets said his voice now with less of lilt and slur.

Hodgins took his temp again, still at 101 he announced but technically slightly lower. Cam decided that a simple medicine like acetometaphin would be okay and suddenly the search for something so simple became a large task. Hodgins finally located some from the bathroom's handy dandy dispenser. Cam tucked the blanket closer and listened for Sweets pulse and breathing. Thought it took some time eventually he was able to fall into a slumber. It was then they were able to relax as his body rested thought it was still pale and emanated a sadness.

"We should have never let him go." Arastoo said angry with himself. "We should not have paid so much attention to work."

"You're right." Cam said not even denying it. "Sure Sweets should not have gone but we have to watch out for each other."

"It's late." Angela said standing up.

"Yes, you should go home." Cam said.

Angela gave a light laugh. "I don't think so Cam, see I was all on board with the speech we just had." Angela puled the phone from her pocket and then sat back down where she was before near Sweets. "I just want to let the sitter know it's an overnight thing for her."

Cam looked over to where Genevieve had been and saw she was gone.

"Minx." She said out loud and went back to monitoring Sweets pulse. _But she got him back to us so I really don't care._

* * *

><p>Cam woke up with a start, a dream that was none too pleasant in which her partner was killed at the asylum. She rubbed her eyes and sat up straight and reached out to reassure herself Sweets was fine by touching him arm. The only thing was the only thing she felt was the blanket, and no one under it.<p>

"Sweets!?" She said jumping up and looking to the floor thinking he may have rolled off.

"Shh." Sweets said from a nearby chair. "You'll wake them."

Angela & Hodgins were sleeping on Angela's couch while Arastoo was snoozing on Dr. Brennan's couch. Cam had been on Sweets watch in the chair next to him.

"Arastoo's right." Sweets said flipping thru pages of files. "You do snore."

Cam tried not to smile. "So glad _you're _feeling better." She said stepping closer and looking at her watch, it was 4 a.m. "But really Sweets you should be resting."

"On that metal table?" He asked sarcastically. "Thanks I'd rather work."

Cam took the papers away from him and shined a light into his eyes. He flinched since the room was dark and traces of drugs were still in his system. She followed that with checking his pulse and to his dismay the wound on his side.

"You should eat something." Cam said.

"Sure, I think Taco Bell is open at this hour." Sweets offered sarcastically and tried to reach for the file.

"Sweets, stop joking." Cam said with worry in her voice and then heaved a sigh. She was having a hard time saying what she wanted to say. "A few hours ago I was pretty sure you could have been a goner."

"Not me." Sweets said with a big smile but saw her worry. "Thank you Cam, for everything you did for me."

Cam nodded. "Fine, but at least drink some water. Then in a couple of hours, food. You're still very pale and I can see still a little shaky."

"Why is that?" Sweets asked and Cam was glad to be honest with him.

"Blood loss and the drugs." She explained and assured him, "it will pass. One reason why I was so eager to get food in your system, to absorb it."

Sweets closed the file for a second and rubbed his head.

"Something's bothering you, besides what happened." Cam observed.

Sweets eyes met Cam's though his chin was still resting on his hands. He started to shake his head no but he knew he couldn't lie to her. He ran his hands thru his hair and looked to see if anyone was around just yet. Cam grew more worried what he was so reluctant at saying.

"I don't remember." Sweets said finally.

"You don't remember what?" Cam asked.

"Yesterday." He admitted. "I remember leaving and going to the shipyards. Then I remember something hurt probably that." Sweets said looking to his side. "Then some from that place, but even that is confusing. How long was I there?"

Cam felt guilty that he had been there at all and she struggled to say it. "About a day."

"I'm only asking because it felt like a week, the memories, I'm not even sure if they are memories or just my imagination. I recall these long conversations and I know they couldn't have taken place, not all of it if it was only a day."

Cam could see that Sweets was bothered about the lost time and the inability to decipher between reality and the drugs.

"I know something happened at the shipyard." Sweets said, visibly straining to remember.

"Yeah you got shot!" Cam said half angry.

Sweets shrugged, "I have no memory of it."

"The drugs you were given at the asylum were _very _strong. I think that will account for you're the muddled thoughts." Cam informed him.

"I feel like there was something very important in there, like I learned something." Sweets was still trying to track down the thoughts. "Will I remember them later, I know it's important – about the case, it's why I was looking thru the files, trying to remember."

Cam sighed. "I doubt you will remember." She said sadly. "The drugs…" Cam didn't continue as she could see how much it bothered Sweets, a psychologist to be confused between reality and fiction in his own mind. She tried to offer help. "You sent me a text from the shipyards, Lumiere."

Sweets looked up as though he had heard the word for the first time. He looked bewildered at what it meant. "If I texted it to you and then got shot, it _must _be important." Sweets was highly frustrated now.

"Okay, well you're a psychologist." Cam offered. "What if a patient came to you with this problem, what would you do to help?"

Sweets sat back to consider that approach. "Though it can be sketchy at times, some people do find break thru with hypnotherapy." He explained. "If it is in the mind, it's finding a way to retrieve it – if the drugs didn't destroy it."

"So should we try that?" Cam asked. "Or not?" Cam asked upon sensing Sweets was reluctant to say yes.

"Hypnotherapy can be hard to get the direct answers you want, you may dig for one but come up with other….other memories." Sweets explained and Cam guessed that there were many dark memories Sweets would rather forget, and more so, not share aloud. "But, if we are to solve this case, then we need to try."

Cam admired the fact that despite his discomfort with the approach he was willing to sacrifice to solve the case. For now that he was an escapee of the asylum, danger may come to them all, Sweets knew, if they came looking for him, to see what he knew – which at the moment, he was not even sure what he knew.

"So what do we do?" Cam asked trying to help.

"We find a psychologist I can trust who is versed at hypnotherapy who will also not divulge any aspects of the case to anyone." Sweets said voicing the monumental task.

"Do we know any besides yourself?" Cam asked sarcastically.

"That's part of the problem."

"I might have an idea." Cam said.

* * *

><p>Even though Sweets missed his suit he was glad to be rid of the dried bloody scrubs he had been wearing in exchange for some borrowed items from Hodgins &amp; Arastoo's gym bags. He was grateful to his friends and promised to buy them breakfast after his wallet turned up. Hodgins explained that Angela, who had left temporarily to take Michael Vincent to school would take care of breakfast but he could buy next time.<p>

Sweets was about to sit down and go over the case again, try not to focus too heavily on the feeling he had forgotten an important break thru when the sound of someone clearing his voice made him raise his head to see a tweed dressed fellow toting a visitor badge.

"Lovely to see you again Dr. Sweets"

Sweets smiled at the idea Cam had gotten. "As it is to see you again, Chef Gordon."

* * *

><p><em>I had wanted this chapter to include the hypnosis session but it's rather late so that will be tomorrow! I'll work on getting the rest of this updated very timely and even get baby daddy finished up because I'm getting ideas for other new ones! :)<em>


	13. Chapter 13

13.

_I like pulling in characters we haven't seen in a while and Gordon Gordon was a fun character I had hoped would stop back in for something sometime over the years. I also have no idea how hypnotherapy sessions truly work short of some minor research so this is pretty much built to fit my fiction._

* * *

><p>"Dressing rather casual these days aren't we?" Gordon asked of Sweets beer advertisement shirt and sweatpants as he sat across from him.<p>

"What can I say, I like to make a solid first impression." Sweets replied sarcastically.

"I would like to say you are looking well but you look a bit worse for the wear." Gordon said not to be mean but to express concern.

"It was a long day yesterday." Sweets said. "Did Cam tell you what happened?"

Gordon sat back in his chair as a grin came across his face. "Dr. Soroyan did not wish to, but my reluctant to perform a random hypnotherapy session led me to wonder why she was asking me and not the resident psychologist Dr. Sweets. It was then that she explained it was for you and that really only led me to ask more questions."

Cam cleared her throat as she approached the pair in conversation. After a handshake and how do you do, Cam explained, "I knew Gordon Gordon would be someone we could trust, that you could trust, with secrets." Cam suddenly felt uncomfortable and left to attend to some other business.

Gordon looked back at Sweets and offered a smile. "I am impressed Dr. Sweets that you have allowed others to know your life, your secrets, past Booth & Dr. Brennen. Though it's taken several years for that to happen." Gordon offered a smile but Sweets still seemed slightly shy at the notion. "So, I understand that you were working on a case, got involved in an incident resulting in a short term incarceration at a looney bin."

"That's not very technical." Sweets chided Gordon.

"I'm not a psychologist anymore." Gordon responded. "Perhaps you want to talk to someone sometime about the stint in the asylum? It may produce damage that not even you might completely recognize."

"Perhaps but it's not what I'm interested in right now."

"Deflection and procrastination is not the key to a healthy mind Dr. Sweets."

"No, but solving this case may be a the key to national security." Sweets answered back and Gordon suddenly understood the severity of why he was called in, why Sweets had allowed his health to be so jeopardized by a case.

"One question before I agree to help." Gordon said at the vague and serious nature of the case. "What does Agent Booth think about this case."

Sweets may have been an excellent lie detector but he was terrible at telling lies. He did not even get a chance to attempt a lie when Gordon knew the answer.

"But you will bring him up to speed at some point?" Gordon asked.

"I can handle this." Sweets promised. "No harm will come to others."

"And yourself?"

"That doesn't matter." Sweets said without thought.

"I would object that it does, and to quite a few people." It bothered Gordon that Sweets did not seem convinced of that fact.

Sweets rubbed his eyes with his tired hands. "I'm rather tired of everyone thinking I can't do anything without Booth holding my hand."

"Dr. Sweets the only reason I asked of Agent Booth is because I feel he will be quiet concerned when he hears of everything you have taken on of yourself. If anyone distrusted of your leadership they would have contacted the agent by now."

"They don't know." Sweets said laced with a guilty tone. "I told them I had told Booth."

Gordon grinned. "You do know you are a terrible liar Dr. Sweets.  
>I suspect they know but they are confident in your leadership though concerned in your health."<p>

"Well, then, help me recall what is missing in this case so I can wrap it up then I can get some sleep and everyone will be happy." Sweets offered.

"I still think you are missing the point a bit but I will help." Gordon said picking his battles. "Now where would you like to start?"

"While I was at the shipyards, I think I must have heard something, learned something. I don't know what it was and I think it was important to the case."

"Dr. Soroyan suggested it may be due to some drugs you were given, very strong and nasty stuff I understand."

"Yeah, I'm have no memory of the shipyards and the recollections at the asylum vary from absurd to questionable."

"Absurd?" Gordon asked.

"I'm fairly certain I did not have tea with Teddy Roosevelt." Sweets explained.

"What a fascinating conversation it would have been though." Gordon teased.

"Oh it was." Sweets admitted. "But I'd like to know what really went on there."

"Well, perhaps we should dig and see what we can find." Gordon suggested but noticed Sweets acceptance nod was only slight. "Objections?" Gordon asked.

"Trepidation." Sweets answered. "I suspect you can guess why. I'm not sure that the memories of recent have not intertwined with similar memories of my younger years."

"I'm sure we can walk the fine line that may be needed." Gordon assured him. "We can certainly find a quiet space, this does not need to be a public event."

"Sure, but Cam should be present. She may be able to direct you as far as facts from the case go."

"And you are comfortable with Dr. Soroyan?" Gordon asked, sure of the answer but he wanted to check.

"Of course." Sweets answered. "She's my partner."

From a distance away, eavesdropping, Cam smiled.

* * *

><p>"No worries Dr. Sweets." Gordon assured the tense psychologist as Cam shut the door the private office with the blinds drawn. "We're here alone, well the three of us anyway."<p>

"Are you sure you are okay with this Sweets?" Cam asked.

"Yes, we need to know." While Sweets was trying to hide his discomfort it was obvious he wanted to find the lost information. It was easy to see, Sweets was generally in the driver's seat of such a situation, now he was the patient in which there was a loss of control and it was in that aspect that he was ill at ease.

"Now I will proceed with a method you mentioned you were most comfortable with." Gordon said as Sweets tried to relax on the couch, the only alternative in the room to an office chair. "As you know I won't venture into areas you don't wish, as you slowly relax we can begin the session." Gordon continued talking in a smooth voice that was calming while Cam endeavored to be quiet. She found the therapy to be very interesting and yet she could see how you could find discomfort in such a situation where you were present, but not entirely present to know what you had said. She imagined the fears of people who were afraid they would wake and cluck like a chicken upon demand of a specific word.

Cam moved her attention back to the pair of psychologists as they had descended some sort of staircase after a bunch of relaxing talk.

"Where are you now?" Gordon asked.

"Getting out of my car." Sweets said. "At the shipyard. Lt. Cole says I can look around but I have to get clearance."

Cam's eyes narrowed. "I knew that little prick was lying to me." Cam said recalling back to the Lt. who promised her he had never seen Sweets before.

"But you don't leave." Gordon asked.

"No, I see Commander Mahaffey who is supposed to be dead. I follow him into a hanger, it's like a warehouse though, lots of storage, boxes." Sweets said slowly as Cam began to pencil all the facts down. Indeed if Mahaffey was there then this was information worth digging in Sweets mind for.

"What is he doing?" Gordon asked.

"He's talking with Agent Wittner. Wittner was upset that Cam and I came to his office. They wanted to know how we knew. Wittner wanted to know how long the experiment was going to take."

"What experiment were they referring to?" Gordon asked.

"Philadelphia, it was back in operation, the inflicted sailors sent to Davenport." Cam thought of all the men she had seen at Davenport and her promise to herself to help them.

"Mahaffey felt he was close to having it figured out but Wittner was impatient. Mahaffey asked about Lumiere, if he had killed the unknown man on his own boat. Wittner didn't know." Sweets recalled.

"Who is Lumiere?" Gordon asked.

"I think he was the man on the boat, the one who blew it up, the other cover up group." Sweets explained as his eyebrows began to furrow. Gordon wanted to move on quickly. "Mahaffey said Wittner would never catch Lumiere, then they heard me, thought I was him and wanted me dead."

"What did you do next?" Gordon asked.

"I ran, he fired a blind shot, caught my side. I kept running…" Gordon could tell Sweets was becoming apprehensions as he was caught in the recollection of running and fearing being caught and killed.

"Let us be mere observers Dr. Sweets, remove yourself from the situation, what do you see now?" Gordon offered under suggestion.

Sweets seemed to relax. "He's running, up the stairs, hiding." Sweets said.

"Is he referring to himself?" Cam whispered and Gordon nodded.

"The blood dripped, they know where he is!" Sweets grew more excited. "They're chasing him, he can't run, Wittner is going to fire, Mahaffey stops him, he falls." Sweets said as his body relaxed.

"I assume the man passed out?" Gordon asked.

"Yes, he wakes up in the asylum." Sweets said.

"Can you tell us what happens to him there?"

Sweets body reacted as though he were resistant to say more.

"Was the man hurt?" Gordon asked.

"He was hit, several times. They stuck him in the room, drugged him. They didn't tell him much." Sweets said. "It's confusing but then…then he came."

Cam and Gordon were confused if Wittner or Mahaffey came again.

"Who Dr. Sweets, who came?" Gordon asked.

Sweets shook his head. "He's not very nice. I wish he would go away." Gordon noticed that Sweets voice changed to a more adolescent tone, not the grown man who he spoke to a moment ago. "He locked me in this closet."

"Dr. Sweets, remember we are mere observers. Now are we still watching our friend at the asylum."

"The blood, it's warm, it drips, it won't stop. It's dark and I can't move." Cam and Gordon looked at each other as Sweets spoke. He was refusing the role of observer and they weren't sure if he was still in the asylum or they feared the past, breaking Gordon's promise.

"Dr. Sweets, let's look at our friend, in the asylum and what's happened to him." Gordon tried again.

"He's hurt and no one is going to come for him, no one knows where he is." Sweets calmed some being from the observer view but they were still sure where Sweets was in time. Gordon began to draw the conclusion that the pair of events were incredibly similar.

"Dr. Sweets, do you notice that our friend seems to be in a similar situation, one he had been in before?" Gordon asked but Cam pulled his attention in a whisper.

"I thought we promised to not go into his past." She asked.

"I do not wish to do so but Dr. Sweets seems to be combining the two events in his mind, I fear they were all too similar and he can't remember because he can't delineate between the two memories."

"How is that?"

"He was locked in a room against his will after being hurt and bleeding." Gordon explained as cam recalled the scars she had seen before. Her heart ached for a small boy that thru a miracle grew into a wonderful and caring man.

"Dr. Sweets, our friend, at the asylum, did anyone help our friend?" Gordon asked.

"No, he tried to escape, didn't work. No, no, no, no more drugs…" Sweets squirmed as he watched his own memories. "I don't want them, stop, STOP!"

Gordon decided to abandon the search for more memories in the asylum based on Sweets increasingly agitated disposition.

"Dr. Sweets we are going to leave the asylum now, come, take my hand and we will go." Gordon said beginning to bring Sweets out of the trance.

"Yes, they are here, they are taking me away." Sweets said and Gordon paused from his routine.

"Who is here?" He asked.

"I can't see them, but they are here to help, I don't have to stay."

"No you don't, so take my hand." Gordon said and motioned for Cam to take Sweets hand which she did. "And we will leave there and come back up the stairs…"

Gordon continued to talk for a few moments but Cam heard little of the steps to exit the trance. Sweets eyes opened wide then took a breath to calm himself. Before he could say anything he could feel a hand in his and looked to see it was Cam's. He looked up at her and before he could say anything he saw a tear drop roll down the cheek of her silent face.

"Uh oh, what did I say?" Sweets asked.

"Nothing." Cam said still holding his hand. "Nothing." She repeated as she pulled him up for a hug.

Sweets may have been a hugger but Cam wasn't. As to not give away any hints he had said too much Cam released Sweets, wiped away the strayed tear and looked to her notebook.

She cleared her throat, "so, Mahaffey and Wittner were there." Cam said.

"Uh, sure." Sweets said trying to adjust to being awake again and wondering what all he said. Gordon got up.

"Well I think your partner can handle it from here." Gordon said.

"You're leaving?" Cam asked.

"Yes, I have a dinner crowd to please and you have a case to solve."

Before they could object he was gone and they had work to do.

* * *

><p><em>Okay so this chapter was a little shorter but it wrapped up the whole 'experience' so now they can get back to the case. Maybe Booth might even have a minor appearance again...<em>


	14. Chapter 14

14.

"So did we solve the case?" Hodgins asked when Cam & Sweets emerged from the office.

"I think it was quite worth it." Cam said waiting for Sweets to nod and agree which he did. "It would seem that Agent Wittner and Commander Mahaffey were both at the shipyards and know of this Lumiere guy pretty well."

"Lumiere, we believe is the guy who was at the boat docks." Sweets filled in. His stomach growled as he looked at half a sandwich that was left on the counter. Cam pushed it over to him as she kept speaking.

"So what I'm thinking is that Lumiere somehow got our unknown man onto Mahaffey's boat." Cam explained and noticed Sweets had already devoured the sandwich.

"He must have done it there to really stick it to Mahaffey." Hodgins said.

"Or to send a message." A muffled sound said from Sweets who was talking with his mouth so full he had chipmunk cheeks.

"What did he say?" Hodgins asked.

"He said it could have sent a message to Mahaffey and Wittner." Cam said. "But what was the unknown man's role in the whole thing if Mahaffey and Wittner were still trying to cover it up as well?"

"I have something." Arastoo said joining them but he stopped to look around for a missing object. "Where did my sandwich go?"

Sweets gulped as he brushed the crumbs off his shirt. "That's a mystery." He said pretending to look at files.

"I'll get you another sandwich Dr. Vasiri." Cam promised. Arastoo smiled and continued.

"When Dr. Sweets was brought in yesterday I noticed on his finger a small chemical burn." Arastoo explained.

Sweets looked down at his finger that he had paid little attention to, the others looked at it as well - they had missed it, having concentrated on the rest of Sweets medical conditions at that moment.

"I noticed a very slight trace on it." Arastoo continued. "I figured that Davenport had taken such ill care of Dr. Sweets that the burn most likely came from the shipyards."

"It did!" Sweets announced. "I touched a box, while I was hiding, it was broke, there was a liquid! A green liquid coming from out of it!" Sweets was proud that he recalled a memory of the shipyard incident all on his own.

"Why didn't you remember that in the session?" Cam asked.

Sweets seemed bashful at answering. "All I could think of was the running…the uh, shot." His stomach soured at the memory, the pain.

"It's okay, I'm glad you remembered it now." Cam reassured him.

"So what is the substance?" Hodgins asked eager for the missing detail.

"Good question." Arastoo answered. "It's definitely a bio waste. The chemical components though are practically uncharted combinations. I have indications of sulfur, oxygen, aluminum and a dozen other compounds, which is why I would classify it as a waste."

Sweets nodded along but then he noticed a half-eaten bag of chips in the trash among papers. He smiled as he grabbed them and began to eat them.

"Hodgins, when you mentioned the Philadelphia Experiment you said something about a green fog." Cam said then turned her head at the loud crunching of chips. She looked at Sweets. "Did you get those out of the trash?"

Sweets mouth was full of chips. "Uh, no, I think they just fell down." The starving man lied.

Cam shook her head. "Do we have some food around here so that Sweets can eat? Something that isn't trash?"

"I'll check." Angela said heading to the small kitchen area.

"No it's fine. These are fine." Sweets assured them not wanting a fuss.

"Sweets I threw those away because Hodgins was using them for one of his bug experiments." Cam explained.

Sweets looked at Hodgins. "What's wrong with you? Is everything an experiment?" Sweets however wasn't completely deterred from eating them.

"Yes! Thank you! Am I not the only one who sees this as a problem?" Cam said glad Sweets had taken her side regarding Hodgins experiments.

"Dude, they were in the trash!" Hodgins said. Sweets looked in the rest of the bag wondering if what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

"Here." Angela said handing over a bag of popped popcorn. "I found that and a roll of mints. Now can we get back to the case?"

Cam opened her mouth to speak but immediately heard Sweets munching on popcorn. _Damn that smells good, _Cam said aloud of the hot and freshly popped corns. She cleared her throat but she couldn't stop staring at it. Sweets held the bowl out to her and she took a handful.

"_If _you two are done eating." Arastoo said looking at his report and trying to hide a smile. "I can tell you that the chemical compound does contain a slight amount of water, particularly a sample that matched a sample off the coast where the shipyard is."

"How do you know that?" Angela asked.

"For environmental reasons water samples are taken around areas where boats are docked to be sure that no excessive amounts of oil or other chemicals are released into the water." Arastoo explained.

"Are those kept on record?" Angela asked.

"Yes." Arastoo answered.

"Can we compare the results of any recent samples to ones in years past?" Angela asked. "See if any of this material was in the water?"

"Excellent suggestion Angela!" Cam said. Hodgins turned to pull up the data.

"So the Philadelphia Experiment was the idea to make a ship disappear and then reappear in another location." Cam said thinking aloud. "Why would it give off some sort of green liquid - if it did work?"

"It could be the chemical residue is a byproduct of the ship dematerializing." Arastoo proposed still having a slightly hard time imagining the process could actually take place. "Some of these chemicals would match what would be on a naval ship."

"I've got a match!" Hodgins explained excitedly. "The components of what Arastoo found would match several of the high markers of the components of a military vessel. I'm also comparing the water samples over the years….and….bingo! Every six months the water is testing at higher levels than before – and with each of these compounds present."

"So the chemical residue was being removed from the water, but some trace was still in it?" Angela asked.

"Yeah but not enough to alert the EPA." Hodgins said. "Which is why they could continue their work."

"The green substance would most likely have a high density, allowing it to float on the top, almost like oil. Being green it would also have been easy see and skim off the top." Arastoo phathomed.

"And then they stored it in the warehouse." Angela proposed.

"Does my breath stink?" Sweets asked looking at the package of mints.

"Sweets have you been listening at all?" Cam asked irritated and then concerned the psychologists attention span had been damaged.

"No Sweets, it was the only thing I could find besides the popcorn." Angela explained.

Sweets ate a handful of mints and Cam began to worry a bit more at how anyone would want to eat a handful of Life Savers all at one time.

"Yes, I've been listening." Sweets answered. "I think they figured out how to get the ship to disappear but they didn't get to it reappear in the same condition. The same problem they had fifty some years ago. The residue left behind is what they should be studying but they are leaving it only as a waste product."

"And then there's the other 'waste' product, the afflicted sailors." Cam recalled the worrisome state of those left at Davenport.

Sweets looked at the bag of popcorn.

"Geez if you want more just ask." Angela said grabbing it.

"No, but thank you." Sweets said. "It gives me an idea. How would you make an item disappear? You would have to have some sort of charge to get the molecules to move enough to transport it. Like the popcorn, what causes it to go from a kernel to the puffy ball?"

"Heat. Duh." Hodgins said.

"Right. Einstein's theory the experiment is based on is combining the forces of electromagnetism and gravity into the same field."

"You would need something like a large electrical generator to bend light around the object or as Einstein worked to understand anti-gravity." Hodgins explained. "But what does this tell us about our unknown man?"

"That you would need scientist to finish the project." Sweets explained with a smile.

"You think he was a scientist?" Cam asked.

"If he was a scientist working for Mahaffey, getting them what they needed to know, Lumiere gets involved from another country, he wants the info and kills the unknown man to get it." Hodgins proposes from Sweets theory.

"But he doesn't give it to them." Angela surmises. "He takes it with him."

"Because they would rather have him dead and the Americans unable to finish the project if they were unable to find the information." Arastoo assumes.

"What makes you think he was a scientist?" Cam asked Sweets directly.

"I think he was a theorist actually." Sweets said going to the evidence table. "In his bag was that stencil kit. I don't think he was drawing sketches of ships as a spy. I think he was writing out his theory equations. I think Mahaffey has them and is continuing to work based on what he has from the unknown man, even if he doesn't completely understand the man's work." Sweets ate the rest of the package of mints.

"But I thought he was a spy, for the FBI?" Cam asked.

"That was an idea. I still think he has some sort of FBI ties." Sweets said.

"We ran his image thru the FBI database, no matches." Angela reminded them. "All databases actually, this guy never got a driver's license."

"Curious." Sweets remarked.

"How does someone not have a driver's license?" Cam asked. "In the modern world it's pretty hard not to have some form of ID."

"But the way this guy slid under the radar I'm thinking he had very little by way of ID. The vouchers for the bus, the lack of labels, he didn't want to be tracked." Sweets referenced.

"Okay, so how does someone get around everywhere with no ID?" Angela asked.

"Well if he was an agent they could have supplied him with cash, vouchers when needed." Hodgins proposed.

"There's an answer in the evidence." Sweets explained looking at the autopsy result. "Wedge shaped toes and highly developed calves." Sweets repeated from the report earning curious glances from the rest. "Bicycle."

"Well developed legs and curved toes from the cycle shoe sleeves." Cam put together.

"Now he doesn't need a car." Sweets explained.

"Okay so that answers that anomaly but what about the rest, who is he, how did he die and what did he do?" Arastoo asked.

Sweets looked at the rest of the clues on the table - Juicy Fruit, vouchers, comb, Kensitas cigarettes in the Army Club case, box of used matches and the now reunited cufflinks. Sweets looked them over. Many of them made sense, matches to light the cigarettes, gum to mask the breath. _But wait, why Juicy Fruit, why not a mint flavor? Perhaps he was impartial to the mint._

"What's he doing?" Arastoo whispered to Cam as they watched Sweets pour over the evidence. Before Cam could answer Sweets pulled a stick of gum out. Cam assumed he was going to eat it.

"Sweets! If you're hungry we'll get more food but let's not eat the evidence." Cam said stepping next to him. He handed her the gum wrapper. Inside read the address, 1717 Park Lane.

"That's where we had the address to that other book." Cam said finding the others were now interested.

Sweets pulled out another piece and unwrapped it. "That's the address of the shipyards." Cam said recognizing it. The next revealed the address of Davenport State Hospital then Sweets unwrapped the final piece.

"That's the Library of Congress address." Hodgins said.

"We had the clues here the whole time?" Angela asked.

"We still found the places, this may have gotten us there sooner." Cam realized.

"It was a fail safe." Sweets proposed. "In case we didn't find the other clues. This was his back up."

"So now what?" Hodgins asked. "We're out of clues."

"Maybe not." Sweets said picking up the box of matches. He slid the small box from its case and removed the matches.

"Address?" Hodgins asked trying to see. As he leaned forward he knocked the bag holding the cufflink to the floor. Hodgins reached down to pick it up.

"Yeah it's the address to the bus stop, I went there at the beginning of the case." Sweets said wondering why this clue was separated from the others.

"Uh, oops." Hodgins said realizing he had broken the cufflink evidence. "Wait a minute, what's this?"

Hodgins stood up having removed the top of the cufflink. Beneath the opening was a hollow center with a tiny chip inside.

"What is that?" Angela asked leaning forward to look more closely.

"A microchip of some sort." Hodgins said examining it. "If it's buried in this cufflink it's got to be important."

"Which one is it?" Sweets asked.

"The one from the boat." Hodgins replied.

Cam & Sweets looked to each other with the same thought. "The unknown man didn't want the others to find it." Cam said aloud. "Let's say Lumiere lured the unknown man to the boat, gives him the pastry, maybe it's poisoned, they try and get him to talk, he refuses, drops the cufflink so someone knows he's there - particularly the cufflink with what could be information about the experiment on it."

"Lumiere brings him to the park and dumps him." Sweets says.

"Yeah, but the witnesses said they thought he was only drunk there. They couldn't have killed him on the boat." Angela reminded him.

"A slow moving poison in the pastry?" Arastoo asked.

"If that poison hit his stomach he would have vomited, there was nothing at the scene." Cam reminded them. "I don't think it was in the pastry."

"Either way what now?" Angela asked.

The group turned to see Sweets writing out one of the clues from the man's pocket on the white board, MLIABOAIAQC. He put a strike thru each letter as he used it. He stepped back to reveal the word he formed from the second to last clue.

"Claim Bag A10." Was written on the board. Sweets explained. "I think the Q is a sloppy G. The I,O is a 10. That's where his bag was pulled from that they brought here."

"Any more clues wonder boy?" Angela asked and Sweets nodded. He began to write the third from the last clue, WTBIMPANETP. "Patient MP WB." He said finishing. "I'm betting that is someone at Davenport we need to see. I'd guess MP for a military policeman, probably someone from the shipyards who saw or knows something, initials WB."

"Without records of the asylum we don't know. And I doubt they want to see us again." Cam reminded Sweets.

Sweets stared at the last clue on the page, ITTMTSAMSTGAB. His dry erase marker glided across providing a couple of clues but he erased them. Finally he wrote one and backed up. "MIT, SGT Bamsatt."

"MIT?" Cam asked. "Massachusetts Institute of Technology?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Well if he is a theorist."

"So who is Sgt Bamsatt?" Arastoo asked.

Hodgins pounded away at the computer then backed up to reveal a younger image of a man they had seen the photo of many times. "I don't know but he looks a hell of a lot like Commander Mahaffey."

"So why did he change his name?" Angela asked.

"I'm guessing it's probably to cover up this." Hodgins said revealing a newspaper article. "Apparently Sgt Bamsatt was a soldier for the Soviet Union."


	15. Chapter 15

15.

_I really do need to get back to Baby Daddy sometime don't I? It's sort or hard to do two at once when a mystery is involved. I don't want the bad guys to show up in the wrong stories!_

* * *

><p>"Booth." He answered picking up his cell. "No, I'm on a case, I haven't been in the office, what do you mean Dr. Sweets hasn't been in? Well no, I don't know why he's not answering his cell but I'm going to find out."<p>

"Booth, what's wrong?" Brennan asked concerned at what she had heard.

"Sweets, he hasn't been in the office much, which okay if he's on a case but he's apparently not answering his cell either." Booth explained irritated with masked concern.

"What should we do, should we go back?" Brennan asked surprised even at herself how concerned she was.

"I'm calling Cam first." Booth said. "There must be a reasonable explanation."

Brennan's eyebrow raised, sounded like something she would have said. "I'm calling Angela."

* * *

><p>The group was looking over the similarities between Mahaffey and Bamsatt, confirming the two were one in the same when Cam's phone rang shortly before Angela's. The pair picked them up.<p>

"Hi Booth." Cam said while Angela greeted Brennan.

"No, no, Sweets is here with us." Cam said.

"Oh, good, he's not answering his phone, his boss called me." Booth explained. Brennan could hear the conversation over Booth's phone.

"Oh yes, well we have been very busy with this case." Cam explained and thought of handing her phone to Sweets but she knew what a bad liar he was, particularly to Booth under pressure. "I believe Sweets lost it, we were searching a place." Cam realized she was sounding like a bad liar herself.

"Well, is it going okay? I mean, can Sweets handle this case if he lost his phone?" Booth asked loud enough that Sweets could hear the question. Cam could see the slump of disappointment in Sweets shoulders.

"Yes, Dr. Sweets is doing an excellent job at the case and at keeping the team safe." Cam wanted to add that she was still concerned about the pale and thin looking Sweets standing before her whose last meal was popcorn and mints but that wasn't going to calm Booth any.

"Yeah Brennan, everything is good." Angela chimed in. "We trust Sweets."

Sweets stood taller knowing the confidence that was seen in him.

"Okay, sounds like things are okay." Booth said. "We should be back soon if you need us."

"We're doing just fine." Cam said as she and Angela said goodbye and hung up.

Cam smiled at Sweets who smiled back. "Okay, so what's next?" He asked.

"Well I don't think we can solve the patient MP WB, there's no way we can get into Davenport." Cam said.

"The other clues are almost solved except for Mahaffey." Angela said. "I'm going to dig and see if I can't find more on who he was and why he would have changed his name from Bamsatt."

"We need to know what his connection to MIT was." Sweets said looking at the clues. "If the unknown man was a theorist and Mahaffey was connected to MIT, we might be able to find out if the unknown man was a professor there, something."

"Hodgins, how are you coming on that computer chip?" Cam asked.

"So far it's encrypted." Hodgins said hitting various keys. The group surrounded him. "I've tried a dozen different words and hacks and just about everything I can think of."

"Try Taman Shud." Sweets suggested. Hodgins typed it in and the computer screen filled with images in boxes. The images were drawings of equations on paper.

"Looks like you were right about using the sketch pad to do his equations." Cam said noticing the paper matched the small rectangular size of the blank pages they had with them.

"Yeah but what are these?" Hodgins asked looking at the multiple pages of images. "I mean, this is some really advanced equations."

"If the unknown man was this good at his field, like Einstein I his time, he would have been very sought out by various governments." Sweets thought aloud.

"Which would explain why he would avoid detection at every clue, the lack of id, the clothing without tags - he didn't want to be found." Cam concluded.

"Well we know the why but we still need the how and the why." Hodgins said tapping away. "Do we have a professor we could see that can tell us what some of these are?"

Sweets stood up from looking over Hodgins shoulder and smiled at Cam. "I think we need a road trip to MIT, find out who Bamsatt was to MIT and see if anyone else there can help us."

"One condition." Cam said. "You change clothes. No professor is going to take you seriously in that."

* * *

><p>While on their way Angela made arrangements for them to meet with the dean of the school. Cam smiled at how increasingly confident Sweets looked having stopped at his place for a change into a suit after a shower.<p>

"Thank you for seeing us." Cam said shaking Dean Burkhead's hand followed by Sweets. "We got here as fast as we could though we know it's almost the end of the day."

"Of course, your friend mentioned it was very important, national security I believe she said." Dean Burkhead said sitting at his desk across from them.

"Yes, we would like to know if you are familiar with either of these men." Cam said handing him photos of Commander Mahaffey present day, Sgt Bamsatt and the unknown man.

Sweets watched closely as Dean Burkhead blinked at the sight of the photos. _He knows them _Sweets thought to himself.

"I have no idea who these men are." Dean Burkhead said handing the photos back to Cam.

_Terrible liar _Sweets said to himself.

"Are you sure, Dean Burkhead?" Sweets asked. "Perhaps you'd like to look at them a little longer?"

"No son, I'm sure." Sweets noted how Burkhead tried to diminish Sweets by pointing out his age.

"Perhaps it would help to know these two men are the same person." Sweets said holding up the photos of Mahaffey. "A fact I'm surprised you didn't detect for someone so versed in scientific observation.

Cam wanted to blush at Sweets' blatant insult. Burkhead blinked and tried to hold back a discerning smirk.

"Of course, but I assumed you knew that." Burkhead said.

Sweets eyes narrowed, it wasn't a convincing response. "We know they all had a connection to MIT. How long have you been dean here?" Sweets asked.

"Thirty years." The dean responded, knowing they could easily look the answer up which irritated him.

"Well, this unknown man is forty, leaving him to have part of his career here, most likely a professor. Your secretary was just telling us while we were waiting that you pride yourself on knowing all of your staff. So did you forget you knew him or was that all crap about being intimate with your staff?" Sweets asked with a smile. Cam's eyes widened at the Sweets she was witnessing, he was brash.

The dean was less amused. "If he was here I'm sure I met him but apparently he left little impression on me to remember him."

"Ah, I could see that." Sweets agreed. "The only thing is, so far we've seen that the equations he was working on were beyond stellar. Do you think maybe he left MIT for another school because you found him forgettable?"

Again Cam felt her cheeks warm at Sweets brash demeanor but she had to admit it was working, the dean was far less cordial now than when they first arrived.

"It depends on who deems it as stellar." The dean responded.

"Well, while we were waiting on you we visited with one of your professors." Cam said. Sweets had suspected they were kept waiting while Dean Burkhead made a call to people to find out what he was supposed to say to the pair of investigators.

"Dr. Sweets, what was his name again, the professor we visited with?" Cam asked Sweets.

Sweets shrugged his shoulders. "I don't recall Dr. Soroyan, the people they have here are not very memorable."

_Wow Sweets is a smart ass today _Cam said to herself trying to keep her composure. Cam looked at the print outs from Hodgins microchip they had shared with the professor. "Well he explained to us these are advanced equations for not only the unified field theory but a step further, Einstein's theory of matter and energy."

"Yes, if Einstein found the ability of gravity to _bend _light, he had the existence of rest energy and therefore the basis of nuclear energy." Sweets explained further.

"Nuclear energy is not anything new." Dean Burkhead pointed out.

"Yeah but if this unknown man reconciled the gap between bending light around an object by way of refraction to make it invisible and resulting in nuclear energy - that would sure be something pretty interesting I would think." Sweets suggested.

"Yes, I don't think I would forget that guy at all." Cam agreed and both stared at Burkhead.

"There is no proof that any of these things exist." Dean Burkhead said setting back in his chair. "If this man did find the correct answer to those equations - I would know about it. Now if you will excuse me, I have more important things to do."

Cam looked to Sweets who tilted his head in thought for a moment and then stood up with a big smile.

"Thank you Dean Burkhead. I truly appreciate your time and assistance." Sweets said back to his charm he exuded when they came in. Cam followed his head and abruptly exit.

Once they were a distance from the campus in the car Cam busted out a few questions. "Okay so what was that in there? Bad cop?"

"What I just had a few questions." Sweets said shrugging his shoulders. "Not my fault he caught the jagged end of being shot and locked away in an asylum in the past 24 hours."

"You may get a little leeway from us on that but I'm not so sure about him." Cam said. "How come you didn't pressure him on Mahaffey?"

"He's not going to say anything. If anything I was more interested in the unknown man. He was here alright and he knew him." Sweets said as they continued their drive back to DC.

"We punched the lion in the mouth." Cam reminded Sweets. "His eyes lit up when he saw we had the equations from the unknown man."

"Yes, but he called our bluff when he knew we didn't have the result of the equation." Sweets said recalling the conversation.

"He's going to tell Mahaffey and Wittner that we have the equations." Cam realized feeling in danger.

"I think they already had those." Sweets said calming her nerves. "That's what they are blindly working with. What they need is the result of the equations."

"How do we know the unknown man had them?" Cam asked.

"That's what Lumiere wanted to badly to know. He must have had them, or had reason to believe he did which is why he killed him. He just didn't get the results." Sweets suggested giving him an idea.

Sweets had been driving this time, he had enough of Cam's white knuckle driving experiences. Cam called Hodgins at Sweets' request.

"I miss my phone." He lamented while she dialed.

"Well it's either in the waters of the shipyards or somewhere at Davenport. Want to go and check?" Cam asked sarcastically.

Sweets touched his still sore side from the gun shot. "No thanks."

"Hodgins, yeah it's us. Sweets asks that you check the other cufflink." Cam said while they drove. They waited in silence for a moment. "Yes, he said there's another chip." Cam explained.

Sweets drove this time so Cam could talk to Hodgins. "He's hit another passcode. He says it's not Taman Shud or anything else so far." Cam told Sweets.

"Tell him to try Genevieve." Sweets suggested and Cam nodded when it worked.

"His daughter, of course." Cam said waiting to see what Hodgins found. "He says there is just one page on this one."

"I'm guessing that's the answers to the puzzle." Sweets suggested.

"Did we just solve the issue behind invisibility?" Cam asked stunned.

"Well I think the unknown man did most of the work." Sweets reminded her. "We just figured out where he hid one of his many clues."

"Hodgins you need to keep quiet about this, if anyone finds out we have it we will be targets." Cam reminded him.

"Too late." Hodgins said looking up. "Genevieve is here with a gun. Guess it was a bad idea to work late."

Sweets heard what Hodgins had said and pushed on the accelerator.

* * *

><p>The line had gone dead and while Sweets and Cam had little hope that Hodgins was still there when they got back they raced inside to find their only clue.<p>

As they stepped inside they noticed the Jeffersonian seems rather abandoned, too quiet but they drew guns anyway and looked around the silent lab. They heard a noise but stopped when they saw it was Angela walking in the door with Michael Vincent.

"Okay, what's going on?" Angela asked as Sweets put his gun away. Something on the table where Hodgins was working caught his attention and he went to it while Cam explained the problem to the increasingly nervous Angela.

Sweets picked up the note that sat on the counter in the familiar handwriting of notes he had seen from Genevieve. 'They made me do it. I'm sorry' it read. Sweets looked to see the clues were still there, she must not have known what was on them - it appeared only the chips, the printouts from the chips, Arastoo & Hodgins were missing.

Sweets heard a curious sound and slowly approached the area where Hodgins had staged one of his latest bug experiments he had done. The taste of chips came to Sweets mouth but he ignored it as he stepped in the area separated by glass panes where Hodgins bugs sat in containers. He noted however that the bugs were all dead, something Hodgins would have been upset about. Curiously he brushed the bugs aside to reveal a timer down to four seconds.

"Get out!" Sweets shouted and ran towards the women and toddler at the door. Sweets backed up from the timer which he saw had wires running from it around the room. As four seconds winded down the room lit with a series of explosions, none large enough to bring down the building but enough to shatter the glass in every wall and room and make a huge mess of everything around them. The explosions went off in a circular pattern in the room, each one closer to them.

Cam pushed Angela out the door and out of harm's way then turned back to see Sweets clutching at his face crouched at the floor as slivers of glass rained down around him. Cam didn't want to walk into the rain of glass and shouted to Sweets who looked up to follow the sound and Cam knew he couldn't see. He stepped forward but was about to trip on a debris that had blown in the way. Cam knew there was no way he could navigate his own way out. Cam shouted for him to stop and ran to him as two more explosions at the back of the lab went off sending the sprinklers off to pour down around them. Cam finally reached Sweets as another timed explosion went off near them. Sweets went to grab Sweets hand which had splinters of glass in the and looked to his face where blood began to trip like tears from his eyes. She grabbed his wrist and maneuvered him to the door where the last explosion was the largest at their heels, leaving the lab incased in smoke and fire.

Cam drew in a sharp breath at her destroyed lab but felt the wrist in her hand tremble as she pulled Sweets farther from the room and out the front door where Angela and Michael Vincent sat nervously. Cam planted Sweets on the front step and leaned him against a large planter that was there. She then ran to the car they left near the door when they hastily arrived.

"Oh my God Sweets." Angela said approaching seeing his cut hands and face, his bleeding eyes.

"Angela?" Sweets asked holding out a hand to guess where she was. Angela gently took it and pulled out a glass shaving when Cam approached with a make do first aid kit.

Sweets suit had shielded his body from the glass cutting the rest of him, the exposed hands and face were to bear the brunt. Angela continued to pick out glass while Cam put a hand on Sweets forehead and concentrated with plastic tweezers to remove a piece of glass from the corner of Sweets eye.

"Please, do not move, Sweets." Cam said as she concentrated very hard around such a delicate body part as the eyes. She did not want to cut it further.

Sweets remained as still as he could and felt relief as she removed the two pieces that had become embedded in the corners of his eyes just after he had closed them instinctively at the explosion.

"Thank you." Sweets said relaxing. He looked at Michael Vincent who looked scared. "It's okay Michael, that was just a game we are playing."

"Where's my daddy?" The child asked. "Mommy said we were coming back to bring him dinner."

The sound of approaching sirens filled the air.

"We need to get out of here." Sweets said standing up.

"You need actual medic care this time sweets." Angela reminded him. "And we could use some back up here, we almost got blown up."

"If it was Mahaffey and Wittner they only blew it up because they thought no one was there." Sweets said. "And if those cops get here they may not be the real cops but the ones that work for whoever is hiring them. They either keep us and question us for hours or they find out that I'm the escapee from Davenport and we're not going to get to Arastoo and Hodgins anytime soon."

Cam nodded. "He's right." She turned to Angela. "You take Michael Vincent home."

"What about…" Angela asked nervously but still had faith in the two opposite her.

"I have an idea where they are, let Sweets and I check it out." Cam said as the sirens came even closer so Angela hastily agreed and got in her car to leave.

Cam and Sweets climbed in the car with Cam driving.

"I don't want to hear anything about my driving." Cam said putting the car in reverse.

Sweets wiped the blood from his eyes. "I'm going on a damn vacation when this is over."


	16. Chapter 16

16.

_Sorry this has been so delayed - I had planned to finish it last week but sick toddler and a busier week than I planned changed my plans. Then a lack of sleep made writing impossible. Maybe now you'll have a little reading for the holiday travel. Also, have nearly an entire new story penned out as well that I hope to get started! Woot! Woot! Caffeine is kicking in!_

* * *

><p>Hodgins woke up and realized he was tied to a chair backed by Arastoo who was still unconscious opposite him. Hodgins nose filled with a familiar scent, cigarettes - not just any cigarette but ones he had detected before, Kensitas cigarettes. He was not as familiar with them as they were a British cigarette, not the same scent as most American made cigarettes. As he continued to come to, he tried to recall where he knew them from - the unknown man had them in the case that didn't match the brand. He looked up to see Agent Wittner smoking one. He recalled that Agent Wittner was British though he worked for the CIA. Wittner saw him looking at him.<p>

"Don't worry mate, your friends are coming for you." Wittner said.

"You're setting a trap?" Hodgins asked still groggy.

Commander Mahaffey stepped forward. "We're not doing this." He said in a low tone.

"They know too much, how many times did we warn them?" Wittner asked. "They should have dropped it."

"We have what we need." Mahaffey repeated.

"We don't know that it works." Wittner warned.

"We will know soon." Mahaffey said looking out a window.

* * *

><p>"How are you doing, can you see any better?" Cam asked as Sweets wiped the rest of the drying crimson from the corner of his eye.<p>

"I'm pretty sure if I had gone to the hospital any of these times I would have maxed out my deductible." Sweets said in an attempt at humor though Cam looked worried. He flashed her a smile that warmed her nervous feelings. "But I think I got far better healthcare from you anyway."

Cam wanted to add an 'aw, shucks' but their attention was redirected to the green glow they saw ahead.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cam asked.

"I'm guessing they're trying the last part of the equation." Sweets said as they pulled the car close enough for comfort and stopped.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Cam asked of their plan.

Sweets looked at the green glow that was expanding in the sky before them.

"Let's just hope they are not on the ship - in case this experiment goes like the others." Sweets said getting out of the car then looked at Cam. "Maybe you should wait here."

"You kidding me?" Cam said. "I'm not leaving my partner to do this alone." Sweets smiled back at her. "Besides." She added checking her firearm she brought with her. "You'll need someone with medical experience to go with you - based on your previous endeavors anyway."

"Thanks." Sweets said putting away his gun, assured it was ready to go. He reminded himself of the mantra he had lived by since the case began - protect the team - at any cost.

* * *

><p>The room where the pair were held lit in the green light as Arastoo's head began to raise. Wittner and Mahaffey stood at the window to observe.<p>

"Is that what I think it is?" Arastoo asked.

"Yeah, how are you doing?" Hodgins asked hastily.

"Second headache in a week." Arastoo said and began to pull at the ties. "Any chance of getting out of these?"

"Not so far." Hodgins said. "I think they are zip ties."

"The take-able unbreakable huh?" Arastoo said recalling the commercial. "Does anyone know we are here?"

"Yeah and those two are waiting for Cam & Sweets to show up." Hodgins warned Arastoo.

"And how are we going to stop that?" Arastoo asked worried for Cam.

"You figure out a way to stop two of the eight most stubborn people we know and I'll help." Hodgins half joked but was serious. He admired the fact their friends would come for them despite the impending danger.

A puff of smoke came from the corner of the room in the darkness.

"Hey film noir, smoking will kill you." Hodgins announced.

"I'm not worried about dying." Genevieve said stepping forward and dropping the cigarette, her dress shoe putting it out. "It's living that's the hard part."

"Do you expect us to sympathize with the person who kidnapped us?" Arastoo asked recalling Genevieve holding the gun on them at the lab.

"I held the gun, but I didn't want to play the part." Genevieve told them. "Mahaffey and Wittner are the ones who knocked you out cold."

"I don't understand who's supposed to be the good guys and who is the bad." Hodgins said to himself.

"Do you really think there is a difference when it comes to the government?" Genevieve asked him, making him feel stupid. She felt bad and held out her pack of cigarettes. "Want one?"

Hodgins noticed the Army Club pack. "My father's favorite brand." She said, obviously grieving his loss. Still, Hodgins knew that within her father's pack were Kensitas.

"Why didn't you stop them then? From killing him?" Hodgins asked.

"I didn't know they had until he was gone. The statue he was placed under, Generaux Louis Genevieve IV, it was a message to me to be quiet." She explained.

"But I thought that Lumiere killed him?" Arastoo asked.

"I don't know much of anything anymore, I thought I did." Genevieve said looking at Wittner and Mahaffey at the window.

"Let us out of here." Hodgins whispered, trying to appeal to the humanity he knew she had. "I thought they wouldn't kill us, that's…"

"That was until the experiment worked. If they get a call that that ship that just disappeared reappears where they want it to, I'm afraid none of us are long for this world." Genevieve said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Your father who was he?" Hodgins asked desperate to know.

"He was a physicist. Brilliant." Genevieve said thinking of him. "It's my fault - that he got involved. I didn't know him until a few years ago. He came, as a patient in Davenport, when it was a regular institution. I was a nurse there. I didn't know then but the only reason he came there was feigning a breakdown. He wanted to get to know me. Silly old man." She said wiping a tear away. "I'm sure though that he knew I wouldn't talk to him if he showed up one day. He slowly won my heart and then one day he told me who he was."

"You gave him the book?" Arastoo asked. "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam?"

"At the time to give him hope for a recovery." Genevieve said with a smile. "Of course he was fine, he wasn't really ill, but still, it gave him purpose, to put his knowledge to work. He went to MIT upon my suggestion that he work. He then got recruited by Mahaffey, who of course you knew was then as Bamsatt."

"Why did he change his name? And how?" Hodgins asked.

"He was asked to leave from his experiments. He wanted to use live people, I think you can see he still does." Genevieve said in a dark voice. "They removed him but he was already working with my father. Mahaffey figured out my father had a daughter, me, used me against my father as he continued to work for him. My father didn't know at the time about the sailors being sent to the newly reopened Davenport. I only found out about it recently. Once my father was killed Mahaffey kept me close, thinking I had the clues. I had nothing. I wanted my father's death avenged, I knew you all would find it, but I didn't know then that you would all become so involved, I swear I didn't know how dangerous it would become." Genevieve's pleas seemed genuine.

"You all seemed so smart and so untouchable. I thought you…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry."

"How did he get to be commander with a new name?" Hodgins asked curious.

"You can thank Agent Wittner here for that." Mahaffey said turning around and speaking to them. "He saw the value in my work, what I was trying to do for my country. He had CIA clearance, you can make a person about whatever you want to. Until it got too much attention and then Commander Mahaffey had to die again."

Hodgins recalled the dummy set up Cam & Sweets had told them about when they visited Wittner's office at Genevieve's clue.

"So you think you are a patriot?" Arastoo asked angry. "What about those sailors?"

"They will be fixed." Mahaffey said, unsure but stoic in his thoughts. They soon realized he truly believed what he was doing was a patriotic effort, despite the costs. "Too many people in this country are afraid of spilling a little bit of blood in order to save thousands. Too many test trials with paper clips, then cockroaches and if you've very luck you get to work with a mouse after five or ten years. We don't have that kind of time in this era - any era! The key to staying alive is staying ahead of your enemy!"

* * *

><p>"What do you think?" Cam asked Sweets as they peered down. Sweets looked over at Lt. Cole who they had knocked out cold and stole his keys to get in silently. <em>Oh well, he deserves it for lying to us right? <em>Cam thought to herself of the sleepy man. "Do you think he's insane or a patriot?"

"Problem is the line gets pretty blurry, depends on how you tell the tale." Sweets said. "Ever read much on Benjamin Franklin?"

"Well either way, how are we going to get them out?" Cam whispered.

"Mahaffey still doesn't want to kill them, it's Wittner who is pushing for it." Sweets observed and questioned the man's motives. "Technically it's us against them but there's more of us. But even if we take them out we've still got dozens of cover up people on our hands. We have to find a way to end this."

"Try to please everyone you please no one." Cam reminded him.

Sweets was tired, sore and now trying to not to be overwhelmed at the conundrum at hand. One last time he recalled his mantra, _keep the team safe, even if that doesn't include you. _

"Cam, do you trust me?" Sweets asked.

"Or course."

"Okay, go down there, back behind those crates but stay hidden, be ready to cut them free and run." Sweets said handing her a pair of wire cutters he quietly fished out of a nearby tool box.

Cam had a bad feeling about this. "Sweets, what's your plan?"

"Trust me." He whispered walking away and going on the other side.

* * *

><p>"What's taking so long?!" Wittner shouted looking at his phone.<p>

"It hasn't worked." Mahaffey said with a sigh.

"You can't lose an entire damn ship!" Wittner shouted.

"Sure you can." Sweets said stepping out from behind a pile of cartons. Mahaffey and Wittner immediately drew their guns. Sweets remained calm and only smiled. "Hey, no need for that. You've already shot me once."

Wittner narrowed his eyes at Sweets, gun still drawn while Mahaffey put his away. He tapped Wittner who finally followed and put his own fire arm away.

"You snuck in again." Mahaffey said. "Maybe you should be working with us."

"Here I thought you would never ask." Sweets said smiling and stepping closer. "See you would really benefit if you had a member of the FBI on your side."

"What's your game doctor?" Wittner asked skeptically.

"Well I want the impossible." Sweets said walking around still while talking. "I want everyone to win. See I think what Commander Mahaffey, or whatever his name really is, I think he has a good idea, I think he really wants to do this for his country. But you Agent Wittner, why do you want this?"

"The same reason." Wittner said but Sweets and his lie detector brain knew otherwise.

"Right. See I don't believe that." Sweets said. Mahaffey looked at Wittner with doubt.

"See here's the thing Commander Mahaffey, how did Lumiere know about the unknown man? You had him under lock and & key, and as far as I can tell no one, I mean _no one _knew him or what he was working on - except for you two." Cam watched as Sweets talked as she watched him pit the one against the other.

"But that doesn't make sense, Agent Wittner has been working with me, the whole time." Mahaffey said.

"How much would you pay me, to work with you that is?" Sweets asked, digging for answers he suspected he had.

"It's not about the money." Mahaffey said surprised. "This is about the good of our country!"

"That's what I thought." Sweets said. "Not about the money."

"Ask him about the cigarettes!" Hodgins shouted from his restrained recliner.

"Good point Dr. Hodgins." Sweets said. "See, funny thing Agent Wittner, you're the only one who smokes Kensitas, they come from Great Britain, where you come from too. Funny for a man who only smokes Army Club to have a few of yours in his pack." Sweets walked closer to Wittner, trying to hide the fact his heart was about to beat out of his chest.

"Because you killed him didn't you? Lumiere was there, yeah, he did the cleanup but you killed the unknown man - put the poison in his cigarette."

"No, no it can't be!" Mahaffey said surprised.

"Tell me Agent Wittner, how much would another government pay you for something like this? Because for you it is about the money isn't it?" Sweets asked inches from the man's face who held a face, unyielding of answers.

"That's all a lie." Wittner said the men still staring each other down, Mahaffey trying to sort thru the new facts, looking at them both.

"Oh yeah?" Sweets asked with a smile. "Then if you're not double crossing Commander Mahaffey then tell me why hasn't your phone rang when that ship has been sitting out there for the last five minutes?"

Neither man was able to contain their curiosity if Sweets was bluffing or not and raced to the window. Sweets signaled to Cam who rushed forward and clipped the tie holding back Arastoo & Hodgins. Sweets motioned for them to run but Cam resisted. Sweets looked to Genevieve who turned to Cam.

"Go, I will help him. I promise. Two can run faster than five."

Cam looked back at the groggy and sore newly freed captives and reluctantly turned to get them out of the building. She vowed to get them to safety and then return for her partner, she had to protect her team, the way Sweets had promised to protect them.

"What ship?" Mahaffey asked having stared at the sea for several seconds. Wittner grunted and turned quickly grabbing Sweets by the collar and throwing him against the cargo behind Sweets.

"You prick!" Wittner shouted.

"Yeah but you knew it was true, didn't you?" Sweets said looking at Wittner.

Mahaffey drew his gun and pointed it at Wittner. "Let him go." Mahaffey commanded.

Wittner let his grip go and laughed. "Oh you catch on at the damndest times." Wittner said to Mahaffey and backed away from Sweets and put his hands up. Sweets noticed the double crosser still had a slight smile on his lips. "But you forgot one more piece to our puzzle."

Lumiere stepped forward from the shadows with a gun to Genevieve's head. Genevieve put her hands in the air.

"Only one problem though." Wittner said. "We're going to have to work something out, this experiment didn't work. I don't get paid by my employer unless it works. So here is what we are going to do." Wittner turned to Sweets. "You and your team are going back to work. If you don't do work for me then I will take you out, one by one." Wittner turned to Sweets "and you, well, I suppose I don't really need you." Wittner's finger pulled on the trigger but his cell phone rang. He paused from shooting, keeping his gun pointed at Mahaffey he used his free hand to answer his cell phone.

Sweets looked at Mahaffey and Genevieve, both with guns pointed at them. Sweets was the only one without a gun on at him though he had one on him. He pondered what he should do, should he try and protect these people who were not really _his people _and who may or may not be bad guys? Should he run? Try and take out one or the other?

"Yes, how far off course?" Wittner asked with a smile. "Can it be fixed, make it reappear closer on course? Yes? Yes! Good, thank you. Yes, wait there I'll be back soon." Wittner hung up the phone.

"Success!" He shouted. "Too bad no one will know about it." Wittner put his phone away and looked to Lumiere. "Call in the back ups, when the ship gets back to port, kill everyone on board, kill the scientists, we only want the data, burn the port. Lastly kill that Jeffersonian team."

Lumiere took out his phone to place the order. Wittner turned to Mahaffey with a smile "O Captain My Captain, you must go down with the ship."

"No!" Sweets shouted lunging at Wittner as the three tumbled behind the cargo. It was a small part of Sweets quick plan as the cargo momentarily shielded them from Lumiere's gunfire. Mahaffey and Sweets struggled with Wittner and once Mahaffey had a hand on Wittner, Sweets reached for his own gun and held it to Wittner's head. Lumiere threw Genevieve into a cargo block knocking her out cold. He appeared to see Wittner at gunpoint.

"Go ahead, then I only have to split it one way." Lumiere said.

Mahaffey looked as Sweets had his gun on Wittner and Lumiere his gun on Sweets in a deadlock. He looked at the trio several times and took off running.

"Coward." Lumiere said of Mahaffey. "Now what?"

"How about we both shoot Wittner?" Sweets said.

"Don't buy it kid, he's not going to let you shoot me. He doesn't have the passcode." Wittner said and smiled.

"He's right, I can't. You're better at bluffing than I." Lumiere said. "But you've got one shot, pick which one of us you want to shoot. You can't get us both."

Sweets looked at the two deciding what to do when a shot rang out and Lumiere fell to the ground. Wittner looked for his gun as Sweets fired at him making him run. Sweets looked back to Lumiere who was slowly dying on the ground, a shot to the chest. He looked up to see where the shot came from - it was Genevieve who was sitting on the ground. She had grabbed Wittner's loose gun and shot Lumiere when he thought she was unconscious while she pretended. Sweets went to her while trying to keep an eye out for Wittner who was in the stacks.

"Go, you need to go." Genevieve said as blood rushed from her head.

"I'm not leaving you here." Sweets said.

"You don't have to." Cam said walking in the door. "I got her, I got the car outside, let's go."

"You have to get Mahaffey!" Genevieve said to Sweets. "Wittner will go after him, he's the only one who knows."

"Knows what?" Sweets asked.

"Who my father was." Genevieve fell unconscious.

Sweets looked to Cam as they quickly tried to develop a plan.

"Get them out of here, I'll go after Wittner." Sweets said.

"No, Sweets it's dark and he's dangerous." Cam objected. "We need to..

"Wittner's put out orders - he wants the ship brought back to port & kill all the sailors on board, the scientists too, you need to stop them." Sweets said helping Genevieve up.

"What?!" Cam asked.

"Oh and be careful, one they're done with all of them they're coming after all of us." Sweets said fearing that Wittner & Mahaffey were getting away.

"Go!" Sweets shouted again as he ran in the direction that Mahaffey had run, presumably Wittner on his heels.

Cam and Genevieve hobbled towards the car. Once they got out the door Hodgins & Arastoo saw them and got out of the car.

"Geez Cam, you said to wait in the car because you were the only one with a gun." Hodgins said. "You didn't say it was going to be dangerous."

"Well it still is." Cam said putting Genevieve in the back seat.

"How come Arastoo gets to help?" Hodgins whined.

"Because she's not a bug Dr. Hodgins." Cam said getting in the driver's seat. Hodgins climbed in the passenger seat.

"What do you mean it's still dangerous?" Hodgins asked recalling what Cam had just said.

"Those hired cops are going to be taking out a whole bunch of people and we have to stop them." Cam said engaging her in white knuckle driving.

"Okay, um, how do you think we are going to stop that?" Hodgins asked. "I don't know my own personal army do you?"

"I think I do." Cam said getting her phone.

"Oooohhhh." Booth said flopping on his couch. "It's so good to be home."

"Yes, it's late so we should pick up Christine tomorrow, though I do miss her." Brennan lamented.

"Yeah, but all I want to do right now is open a cold beer and fall asleep with it in one hand and my lovely wife in the other." Booth said. "We will pick up Christine tomorrow when we are all rested. It's more fair to her too that way."

"You're right." Brennan said sitting next to him. "Are you sure there isn't anything more exciting you'd like to do right now?" She asked putting a hand high on his leg.

"What kind of excitement did you have in mind?" Booth asked with a raised eyebrow.

Brennan opened her mouth to answer but Booth's phone rang.

"Geez, who's calling. Oh it's Cam, doesn't she's she know what she's interrupting?" Booth sighed.

"It might be important." Brennan said as Booth continued to watch it ring.

"What could be more exciting than this?" Booth asked with a smile as he answered the phone.

"Hey Cam, wild times in the lab?" He joked as he answered.

"Booth! What? No, no, the lab blew up, it's in shambles." Cam said it as though it was old and unimportant news, which compared to their current predicament - it sort of was.

"What, whoa, what, the lab blew up?" Booth repeated.

"Surely you misunderstood." Brennan said stepping closer.

"Seeley, that's not important right now." Cam said trying to regain his attention.

"How is the lab blowing up not important?" Brennan asked becoming unhinged as she listened in. There seemed to be quite a bit of commotion in the car.

"I tried calling them but they won't listen to me!" Hodgins shouted in the background.

"Booth we need your help, I need to contact someone who can help us, someone who will believe us. There's a hit out on a bunch of scientists and an ship of sailors."

"What? Why?" Booth asked.

"It's complicated Booth, it has to do with the case we are working on, government secrets." Cam explained.

"Is Hodgins there did he put you under some sort of whammy?" Booth asked.

"It's real Booth, it's the Philadelphia Experiment, only this time it worked." Cam explained. "I know this is a lot to take in and I can bring you up to speed later but we need to help these people. I'm on my way to where the ship is being docked now but I need back up. Please believe me." As Cam said it she felt like Sweets would have believed her by now, even if he knew nothing of the case. She idly wondered if it was their recent bond in the case that made her feel that way.

"Okay, but I need to know more about this later." Booth said. "Hey where is Sweets on this case, I thought he had this under control?"

Cam didn't like Booth's tone towards her partner. "Oh I can assure you Booth, he is all over it, he's chasing down the ring leader right now."

* * *

><p>Sweets leather soled shoes pounded the pavement which led the distance between the observation yard they were at and the yards where the dock was returning to port. The area was desolate and dark, illuminated only by the full moon overhead which blanketed the area in a blue light.<p>

Sweets hoped Mahaffey may have been going to warn them, it was far better than the idea the man had been a coward and ran. It didn't quite matter what he reason was, Mahaffey didn't make it. Sweets run slowed as he stood over the figure lying in the trail. As Sweets approached he saw the man's eyes stare lifelessly up at the sky. Sweets checked and confirmed what he suspected, the man was dead.

Before he could stand up he heard the sound of a gun being cocked behind him.

* * *

><p><em>Ah, what should happen now? Should Sweets endure another mishap or just wrap it up?<em>


	17. Chapter 17

17.

_Might just get this done by Thanksgiving! Thanks to those who have reviewed, you are my reason to write! :)_

* * *

><p>"What now?" Sweets asked as he stood up but with his back still to Wittner. "You can kill me but you're done."<p>

"And how do you think that is?" Wittner asked with a laugh.

Sweets stood up and turned around to face the man who had a gun Sweets assumed he had taken off Mahaffey.

"You chased the mouse but he cat left to play." Sweets explained to Wittner in a voice that made Wittner sound stupid. "You chased Mahaffey down here but he's not your concern. Sure he's quiet now but my team, they've got your number."

"Right and who's going to believe them?" Wittner asked with a laugh but Sweets could sense Wittner was a tiny bit nervous.

"You're right, no one will believe a pathologist, an intern and a conspiracy buying entomologist - even if they are the brightest in their field with a lab that was recently blown up …"

"Destroying the only evidence in this case." Wittner said with a smile.

"Not the only evidence." Sweets said reaching into his pocket slowly and pulled out the cypher he had grabbed from the table before the lab went up.

"Gibberish on a page." Wittner said.

"Not if you're the best in your field." Sweets said. "Then it's all pretty clear. I know what it means, they know what it means, and I'm pretty sure that anything else can be cleared up by Genevieve."

"She's dead." Wittner said.

"Not when she left with the nut jobs as you call them. And I'm pretty sure they've called in some bigger guns than you have." Sweets said looking at the clues on the page. The last one caught his attention, the one they hadn't completely solved, PATIENT MP WB.

"You're bluffing again." Wittner said.

"See, if you knew me you'd know I was a terrible lair." Sweets said as the sounds of sirens approached in the distance. "I wonder if those are my friends or your friends, hired guns anyway – I imagine you don't really have friends."

"Friends are useless, money is the key."

"I think friends come in when you need them the most." Sweets said, his mind slipping back to the clue for a second. _If the unknown man was at Davenport when it was open years ago, why would he know about a patient there now? _Sweets wondered as his eyes narrowed.

"What, what are you thinking about?" Wittner asked.

"Just the last clue. One last thing that the man left behind." Sweets said glancing down at it again. He noted that the one clue that set them all of was Iliam, the code word for the restarted experiment, yet it was also the only clue that was crossed out. _Why is that one crossed out, was it maybe not what this is all about? Is he leaving a clue that something is more important? Was that one just done since he completed the equations?_

"Look kid, if you have something to tell me then you'd better get out with hit." Witter said holding out his gun.

"It's nothing Wittner, it's over now, those are FBI sirens coming in, not your cops. Surrender and things will be easier." Sweets suggested.

"I'm the one with the gun." Wittner said.

"And I have the clue and the answer." Sweets said buying time. He hoped the approaching officers would make it his way soon, create a distraction, anything.

"Give me both." Wittner said pointing the gun at Sweets head.

"That's not a very good motivator, I know you will only kill me."

"There's a few different ways to die."

"I'm not interested as they all end in the same result."

"We seem to be at an impasse." Wittner said as his eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing again."

"You know me well enough now." Sweets smiled. "Do you think I'm lying about having the answer? Because there is one thing bothering you isn't there?"

Sweets could tell by the fact he hadn't been shot yet and the interest that Wittner had in the note that he was right. _Patient MP WB, Davenport, Mahaffey, Genevieve, the unknown man, Bamsatt, Iliam crossed out _Sweets ran the clues thru his head looking for an answer, looking for something more to buy time. The like parting clouds in the storm the answer came to him.

"That's it." Sweets said as it came clear.

"Damn right that's it." Wittner said taking aim again but Sweets dodged when he fired. Wittner lined up a shot to take another but Sweets had pulled out his gun and fried, taking a few threads off Wittner's jacket.

* * *

><p>"Do you hear that?" Cam asked Hodgins as they stood at the gates of the shipyard research area.<p>

"Cam I can't hear anything with all these people." Hodgins said looking around at the FBI agents on the scene, paramedics attending to Genevieve and Arastoo and the mass chaos that was going on.

"Gun shots." Cam said. "Sweets!"

Cam began to run to the shore where the boat was about to dock. She wasn't worried about the sailors being killed this time, they had enough FBI on the scene that she felt sure everyone was safe. She heard another shot and followed the sound as her pace quickened.

* * *

><p>Sweets jumped down into the trench like area by the trail and spying Wittner fired another shot to which he ducked in return. The shots continued thru a few more rounds when Sweets heard the sweet clicking sound of an empty clip. He stood up from the trench to fire at Wittner who instead quickly jumped on him knocking the gun from his hand. The gun fell into the overgrown grass as the men began to roll down the incline together. Wittner ended up on top as they stopped rolling and landed a punch across Sweets face. The swing disoriented him but he was able to throw an arm up to block the second one. Wittner may have been well versed in giving a beating but Sweets was familiar with blocking against one, he would claw his way out if he had to and Wittner seemed surprised by the tall yet lean man's scrappy return.<p>

Sweets got a leg up under Wittner and pushed him back standing up. Wittner fell back but caught himself and the two men barreled towards each other tussling in the grass again. Wittner got a punch on Sweets that sent him back into the grass but as he landed his hand touched something metal. With excitement Sweets grabbed it Wittner rushed forward to see a gun to his face.

Cam came rushing down the hill and saw two men in the distance, one had just pulled a gun on the other but she couldn't see more than two dark suits. In a panic Sweets was on the receiving end of the bullet she shouted out his name. "Sweets! No!"

In surprise both men turned to look but Witter turned back fastest, Sweets taking longer to make sure Cam was okay. It gave Wittner a second to knock the gun free. In a mad dash to recover it again Wittner found it first and pointed it towards Cam and fired three shots until the clip was empty. He then turned the empty fire arm and smashed it against Sweets face twice disorienting him. Sweets blindly threw a hand up and poked Wittner in the eye which he wasn't expecting sending the pair back to a tussle that landed them both at the foot of the water. Wittner flipped Sweets over and shoved his face in the water. He held the flailing Sweets head in until his body began to slow. Recalling the last clue he let him go and pulled him back, Sweets was unconscious but alive. Wittner looked up and didn't see the pesky dame partner anymore and figured he had got her. He pulled Sweets thru the water to a small boat he had used between the docks and the boats where he met Lumiere. He threw Sweets body in the boat and climbed in starting the small motor.

Cam sat up and felt a hot and stinging sensation in her arm. She saw the blood and immediately pressed down on it, taking a diagnostic run on the rest of her body, that was the only shot. The whir of a motor made her sit up quickly only to see a boat leaving with a figure lying in the back. Being sure that it wasn't Sweets fleeing the scene with Wittner in the back, she assumed it was Sweets being taken away.

"Sweets!" Cam shouted and began to stand but was wobbly. As she was about to fall she felt someone catch her.

"Whoa Camille." Booth said catching her into his arms.

"Sweets. He's got Sweets!" Cam said pointing to the water as she promptly passed out.

* * *

><p>"Help here, I need help here!" Booth shouted as he arrived back at the scene where the paramedics and officers were trying to bring some sort of order to the chaotic scene.<p>

"Cam!" Aratsoo said, anxious at the sight of blood.

"It's okay, just a flesh wound." Booth assured him. As a paramedic began treating it Cam came to. In seconds she recalled her latest concern.

"Sweets!" She said alerting the others.

"Where is he?" Hodgins asked concerned.

"Boat, there was a boat, it was leaving." Cam said sitting up as the paramedic continued to try and work.

"We haven't much time, Wittner's on the run now, he's not going to keep Sweets alive for long." Arastoo warned.

"Okay so where would he go?" Hodgins asked thinking out loud.

"The docks, the docks where the boat exploded." Cam suggested.

"What boat explosion?" Booth asked concerned.

"Later." Cam said to Booth then turned to the other two who were more current on the case. "Could he be taking Sweets to another boat?"

"He knows you will think of that." Genevieve said stepping forward though unsteady still on her feet.

"Who's she?" Booth asked.

"Genevieve." Cam answered quickly.

"Where would he take him then?" Cam asked.

"Wait, is she a good guy or bad guy that she would know that?" Booth asked.

"Later." Cam warned again. "Where Genevieve, Davenport? I know we can't get in there."

"He doesn't have a car though, he's by boat." Hodgins said.

"Right, so it has to be somewhere on the shore." Arastoo said. "Can we get a map?" Arastoo shouted and one was quickly brought to Booth.

"There's dozens of ports." Cam said. "Why would he want to take Sweets with him?"

"Hostage?" Arastoo asked.

"No he's in too deep for that." Cam said.

"The last clue, the one we didn't have an answer to?" Hodgins proposed.

"What clue?" Booth asked.

"Later!" Arastoo, Cam, and Hodgins shouted.

"He wants information from Sweets." Cam deduced.

"Someplace quiet then." Genevieve said stepping forward looking at the map. "Some spot right on the water that he can question him and then dump the body, make a getaway."

"Look, there's an old Marina, and boat slip and a little station on the water for boats to refill with gas on the edge of here." Hodgins said pointing at the map. "He's not going too far I'll bet."

Booth stepped forward to formulate a plan when Cam beat him to it. "Let's split up, we don't have much time."

"Right." Hodgins said. "Okay me and Genevieve will take this one."

"I'm going here." Booth said stepping forward.

"Then I'm going with you." Cam said having taken Cam's first choice.

"Dr. Vasiri and I will take the last one." Brennan said and the others quickly dispersed.

"Bones, you've been so quiet, why didn't you jump in?" Booth questioned her as the others gathered flashlights and such.

"They seem to have everything very under control Booth. They trust your decisions when you ask them to, it's time to do the same for them."

Booth had noticed their very organized nature but he was used to being in charge and this was different.

"Okay but I think you and I should go together." Booth said to Brennan.

"I disagree, we are not familiar enough with this case, we should split up and go with people who are more familiar with the case so that we are not put to a disadvantage." Brennan argued.

"Okay listen up people." Cam announced and Booth again felt like someone was stealing his line. "Sweets has done a lot for us these last few days, he needs our help, let's get him out of this one alive okay?"

"What's been going on the last few days anyway?" Brennan asked Booth.

He looked at her with a shrug. "Later." He said and jogged to keep up with Cam.

* * *

><p>Sweets back arched as he was tossed into a room. He could taste old mucky water in his mouth and leaned forward to cough it out only to be pushed back as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden bright light brought on by the single bright light bulb that flipped on overhead.<p>

"Okay kid, here we are." Wittner said. "Time to talk. And this time, no one's showing up to help you."

"I can get out of this myself." Sweets said taking a quick swing at Wittner, drawing blood to his mouth. The men stood opposite sides of the room like two boxers ready to meet in the ring.

Wittner tasted the blood with his own tongue and smiled. "You are a scrappy son of a bitch. What's it going to take to bring you down?"

"You'll run out of energy." Sweets taunted him.

"You like to take a beating huh?" Wittner asked.

"You have no idea how versed I am at it." Sweets warned as his energy grew though his vision wasn't adjusting as quickly as he preferred. Wittner noticed that and decided to make a move to his advantage. He reached up and tapped the single bulb light so that it swung in the room. The distortion of the light against the beams made Sweets blink giving Wittner an advantage to push an old wooden table into Sweets, knocking him back against the wall. Wittner eyed an object and the ground and smiled as he picked it up. Sweets looked up in the distorted and confusing light to see Wittner coming at him with a large fishing hook. He dug it in Sweets back at the shoulder blade and used the hook to pull Sweets up to his feet by the metal.

"That might leave a scar." Wittner taunted.

"It's not the biggest one there you prick." Sweets said head butting the bastard.

Wittner fell back over the table he had just thrown towards Sweets who considered that instant karma and reached back to grab the hook out of his flesh. He may have done more damage removing it but he was glad it was out though he now felt woozy from the fight, the near drowning and the newest beating. He was resilient but he was still human. The light wasn't swaying anymore but room felt like it was. Sweets was afraid he would pass out but he didn't realize the room was on water and the rocking came from approaching boats.

Wittner got back on his feet knowing the boats were coming.

"Tell me what you know." He shouted at Sweets.

"No." Sweets said back trying to wield the hood like a sword but he was moving far more than the object was. Sweets knew he might pass out if he didn't do something soon.

"Where is he, I must know." Wittner demanded.

"He knows his name doesn't he?" Sweets asked. "He's the only one who knows who the unknown man is."

"Not even Genevieve knows his real name, trust me, I pressured her for it." Wittner said making Sweets skin crawl. "He kept everything secret, he didn't want anyone to know, but William Bryant knew, only I could never find him."

"Bryant knew the man." Sweets pieced together. "And he knew you had to keep him away from him, he could solve the equation, he could solve more, and he could make you tenfold in military secrets." Sweets said figuring out why Wittner wanted the last clue so badly.

"And you will tell me where to find him." Wittner promised.

"Mahaffey knew that the death of tens could save the lives of thousands. I may not have agreed with his methods but he is right, I will not tell you in order to save the lives of many." Sweets promised.

"You stupid martyrs." Wittner said rushing forward as Sweets slashed the hook across Wittner's face, the point slashing the skin but the barb being stuck in it. Wittner howled in pain as his face filled with blood. Sweets fell back as the waves rocked the floor unexpectedly as a boat grew closer. He scrambled to the door opening it to reveal the light inside.

"There!" Cam shouted seeing the bright light in the distance. Booth put the throttle down causing the boat to rush towards it. Sweets could hear a boat in the distance but louder he could hear Wittner behind him. He pulled the door shut, causing Wittner to be trapped in the room and the light visible to Cam & Booth to be gone.

"Where did it go?!" Cam asked their focal point gone.

"I've got it, straight ahead." Booth said concentrating.

The blood on Sweets hand made it hard to keep the door closed and soon it slipped from his grip as Wittner pulled it open. Sweets scrambled to his feet, the way only lit by moonlight on the dock slips. He ran forward looking back to see that Wittner wasn't behind him. He rounded the corner of the small shack in the all too quiet boat slip on the water. He turned to see Wittner had gone around the other way and stood blocking the way to the shore with an oar. He banged it on the steel posts that held the awning above. Sweets arm ached in pain as the blood dripped down his back, he tried to stay alert. Sweets tried to brace himself upright on the posts when he nearly lost his grip but Wittner banged the oar across the knuckles of his sore hand from the car door incident. Sweets pulled his hand back giving Wittner a chance to hit him in the side the with oar. Sweets fell back and continued to crawl back on his elbow and feet, looking up as Wittner looked down, dark blood dripping from Wittner's cheek.

"End of the road." Wittner said pulling Sweets against the wall, the water next to him below. Wittner thrust the oar under Sweets neck and pushed up.

"Tell me." Wittner said. Sweets tried kicking but the air was leaving too quickly. Wittner let go for a second a cruel promise to be broken when Sweets refused to speak the location of WB.

Cam jumped from the boat onto the dark dock slip and flipped it on while Booth was still in the boat, not having come onto the slip yet. With the illuminated dock the pair immediately saw Sweets and Wittner at the end. Booth's gut clenched as he saw Wittner choking Sweets. The pair were at the other end so Booth put the boat full throttle down, his feeling of helplessness growing as he saw the life slipping from Sweets.

"No, no, no Sweets." He said willing the boat to move faster.

Sweets swore he saw the light get bright and wondered if that really was true, as he was finding out. Wittner let go for a second as the lights came on. Sweets slipped from Wittner's grasp as he turned to see Cam at the other end with her gun. He looked at her and back at Sweets. Sweets eyes opened for a second as the white light continued in his eyes and he would have sworn he saw Cam in the distance. Wittner smiled as he turned towards Sweets one last time and fired a shot landing in Wittner's chest. He looked at it and then at Sweets. He pushed Sweets lightly sending his weak body off the dock.

Booth was almost to the end of the dock as he saw Sweets body fall back into the dark waters below. He watched where he landed and swore his heart stopped as his frame disappeared into the dark waters below. Booth didn't bother to stop the boat as he ran and dived near where Sweets had landed.

Cam stepped over the body and to the end to see the dark and empty waters below.

"No, no, no, no, no." Cam said as the seconds turned into a minute. Booth emerged to the surface and Cam's heart sank when she saw only one head. A second later Booth pulled another to the surface, his hand under Sweets chin. Cam let out a breath she had been holding for too long as he body shook from the result of it.

Booth wrapped his elbow under Sweets chin to keep his head above water and began to kick towards the shore.

Cam ran down the boat slip towards the shore and met Booth at the waterline pulling Sweets in. Booth was scared when Sweets body laid back on the sand, his hands were coated in watery blood.

"Cam, the blood." Booth said looking at Sweets.

"Not now Seeley!" Cam shouted. "He's not breathing."


	18. Chapter 18

18.

_I was going to have a longer scene where Wittner tortured Sweets but this just seemed to work out more by them going to the boat house more._

* * *

><p>"What, what do you mean?" Booth asked nervously. He didn't understand how they had gotten to this point. When he heard Sweets had a case and was working with Cam he hadn't imagined it was anything like this. Now he gazed down at Sweets, though in reality not all <em>that <em>much younger than himself, seemed very young right now, too young to die. Cam put her head to Sweets chest and her hand to his neck searching for a pulse which she gladly found though she announced it wasn't strong.

Booth felt relief but a restrained relief as well as a feeling of feeling completely uselessness. Instead he looked over the therapist, doctor, agent, friend – pale in color, a fresh split lip, a cut on his eye, blood coming from his right shoulder, a red hand, and a multitude of scars and bruises that looked slightly healed, but still very fresh and new. He had noted that the rest of the team didn't have a scratch on them.

Unable to merely watch as Cam began to breathe for Sweets, Booth took over chest compressions as Cam breathed. Cam wasn't just cold as she shook with increasing fear, one that finally relinquished when Sweets turned to his side, water spewing. Cam & Booth let out a heavy breath, gave Sweets a second to find his own breath.

As he lay on his left side, his right was visible to the fresh blood coming out of the open injury the hook had left. Booth immediately reached for his phone to call in help, then looked around for their boat but having jumped from it, it seemed to continue along its own course and was now out of sight. Luckily the other two search parties were not far, Brennan being the closest.

"Bones, I need you to get to us right away, we need to get Sweets to a hospital, ASAP." Booth said and Brennan asked few questions, instead directing Arastoo, who was driving their small boat, to where they were going.

As Booth hung up he turned to Cam who was trying to remove Sweets jacket to see where the source of the blood was coming from.

"No, no please." Sweets softly requested. "It hurts."

"I know Sweets but I need to stop the bleeding, this is pretty severe." Cam said trying to remove it gently and was able to get it off better with Booth's new assistance.

"Where's Wittner?" Sweets asked slightly panicked. "I need to…"

"Cam got him buddy." Booth said reassuringly.

"Booth?" Sweets asked hearing the voice over his shoulder, Sweets back was to him.

"Yeah I'm here." Booth said reassuring but Sweets got quiet. He thought of the case and how Sweets had never once called him for help, someone he perhaps wished he had, but was proud that Sweets was able to handle it himself, keep everyone safe, if not including himself. "Yeah, Cam, I just got back with the call to the feds to secure the sailors and scientists. Cam told me though how you handled this case, I'm impressed Sweets."

"Yeah thanks." Sweets said though with a slight tone that he wasn't buying it. Cam pressed on the open wound to suppress the bleeding.

"Sweets I'm just glad I could return the help you have given all of us lately." Cam said. "I don't want to lose you."

"Me either Sweets, glad to help, that's what friends are for." Booth said and Sweets recalled what he had told Wittner about friends being there when you needed them. He now looked at this moment not that they came to his rescue, which they had, but it had far more to do with the fact it was circular - friends help friends.

"I've got pretty good friends." Sweets said getting light headed.

"You're not so bad yourself." Booth said but as he put a reassuring hand on Sweets shoulder he felt little resistance in his frame. He looked up at Cam who was also nervous at the sudden quiet.

Brennan and Arastoo arrived and while they wanted to rush they didn't want to run the boat aground. Arastoo killed the engine and allowed the boat to coast into the shore. Before the boat could stop, Booth and Cam had Sweets ready to board. The three medical degree toting squints lay Sweets on the flat surface while Booth took the wheel and sped back to shore.

* * *

><p>Hodgins &amp; Genevieve were the first back to shore having received the call that the others were bringing Sweets back. Hodgins was quick to locate a paramedic and ambulance and got them as close to the dock as he could. He looked back at Genevieve who was following him down to the boat slip.<p>

"You're still here." Hodgins said partially sarcastic to Genevieve who was known for her disappearing acts.

"I'm not going anywhere this time." She said following closely behind him. "I don't have to be scared anymore and I have that man to thank."

"There!" Hodgins shouted seeing the boat come to the dock. "Oh boy." Hodgins added as Booth was not slowing the engine as early as he should be. Hodgins was nervous what that might indicate in regards to Sweets condition, of which he knew little.

Booth looked to Hodgins and both knew little could be done as the boat abruptly slammed into the dock. The rest tried to brace for the impact with Cam holding Sweets as securely as possible. The boat crashed in the dock with a slight bang, having slowed some against the current. Hodgins took the line thrown to him by Arastoo and pulled the boat close to the dock slip and secured it.

Booth quickly disembarked the boat and motioned to move Sweets towards him. The therapist's battered body was lifted from the floor where the bleeding had slowed but his other injuries remained a concern. Cam was quickly off the boat and took Sweets other side and between the two, supported most of his weight as they walked up the narrow path where the medics were waiting.

"What can do?" Genevieve asked nervously having met them at the boat slip.

"Tell the medics we are here." Booth said to the woman he wasn't entirely sure who she was.

Genevieve quickly ran ahead the narrow slip to the approaching paramedics who could not take their gurney down the narrow and dark path towards their arrival point.

"Perhaps you can tell me all about this case soon." Booth said seeing the red flashing lights.

Cam smirked. "It'll be a long story."

"That's okay, I like long stories." Booth said as the paramedics opened the back of the van to accept their patient.

The paramedics inquired about the battered patient as they laid him down on the gurney and Cam explained what she had ascertained. Booth noticed when she listed a laundry list of previous injuries, all rather serious to what had just occurred.

"Can you come with us mam, we may need more information." The paramedic asked Cam.

"Absolutely." Cam said and looked back at the others who nodded in an unspoken agreement they would meet her there. "Booth, I think Sweets would like you here." Cam said grabbing Booth's arm. He was about to leave and follow in his car feeling Cam had this covered – with her partner.

"Cam I can always meet you…" Booth began to say but felt glad to be invited. He looked back to Brennan who informed them she would meet them there.

Cam and Booth sat in the back as the medic nodded and went to sit in the front seat. Cam thought it was odd but he had announced Sweets had stabilized. Cam continued to keep an eye on Sweets herself.

"I know you said it was a long story, but you listed off a lot of injuries, where did so many come from?" Booth asked as the ambulance barreled along the road, Sweets silently breathing and resting.

Cam sighed as she mentally reviewed the recent past. "There was the break in where he was almost strangled to death, I slammed his hand in the door, the beating in the alley, the worst may have been when he was shot and then admitted to Davenport, a mental institution reopened to stash away the mentally injured sailors that were the result of the invisibility experiments. That didn't help matters much, but we go him out, the wound was infected and poorly treated, he'd been starved, then we got past that only to have the lab blow up and the glass. I'm sure I'm missing a few things too."

Booth's mouth gaped open and his eyes wide. "What? I mean…what?!" He hardly knew where to begin. He looked back at Sweets and realized whatever he thought of the young man he had severely underestimated his fortitude.

"Booth?" Cam said but he could hardly even begin to process all that had gone on let alone find out more medical possibilities. Still Cam said his name again in a near whisper as she put her hand on his arm.

"Booth, this isn't the way to the hospital." Cam said silently and nervously.

"What? Why?" Booth asked completely confused why they would be off course.

"Oh no it's happening again. But how, no one's left." Cam said almost to herself.

"What? Who?" Booth asked again feeling like a confused owl.

"Hired cops and paramedics, they're probably trying to take us to Davenport." Cam said alarmed.

"Okay, I got this." Booth said stepping to the front of the ambulance having nodded to Cam first.

"Hey." Booth said acting alarmed. "We need some help back here!"

The medic in the passenger seat got up to go and help Sweets but soon found himself faced with a gun Cam had pulled on him.

"Hey, what's…" The driver said only to be met with Booth's gun.

"Now, tell me where you think you are taking us." Booth said.

"I have orders." The paramedic said looking ahead again, very stoic and undeterred at the point of a gun.

"You should know those orders have been called off, all your guys have been rounded up." Booth said guessing at what he knew.

"These orders came in ten minutes ago. I need to follow orders." The driver said, continuing to speed along.

"You have a gun to your head by a federal agent, we're going to the hospital." Booth ordered.

"No can do. You can shoot me if you like sir, my orders are to make sure the parcels do not speak." The driver said and Booth knew this guy was operating on a kamikaze level. If Booth took the wheel or shot the guy, they could possibly kill other people on the busy road, including all of those inside.

"Who, who did your orders come from?" Booth asked wondering how these new orders could have come in so late, from who?

"I can't say." The driver said.

"Booth!" Cam shouted. "We need to get to the hospital."

Booth was about to say that he knew that, it seemed obvious but he then realized something must be going on with Sweets. He was alarmed by an erratic beeping sound, he glanced back seeing Cam couldn't tend to Sweet with her concentration on the gun she had trained on the second man. The driver took the opportunity to swerve the van throwing Booth off his feet and tumbling over. Cam's head hit the cabinet above her but she held onto the gun. The second man took the opportunity to lunge forward but Cam hit him on the head with the butt of her gun knocking him to the floor. She scrambled to her feet to check on Sweets whose vitals were beeping rapidly. She looked between Sweets and Booth, wondering who to help first. She looked again to Booth, knowing if he was shot she had little chance of saving Sweets. The driver was about to retaliate as he was pulling a gun out of his jacket.

"Booth!" Cam shouted as Booth looked up knocking the gun out of the driver's hand. The driver swerved again as car horns blared then went past them. The gun slid across the floor as the van swerved and Cam tried vainly to keep Sweets on the gurney. She pressed a few buttons and increased a medication that had been inserted and soon his pulse began to stabilize.

The van swerved again and Cam looked up to see Booth and the driver fighting over control of the wheel. Cam with gun in hand stepped forward to intervene when she was pulled backwards and thrown against the back doors of the van. She seethed against the pain and looked up to see the second man had recovered and was standing over her. He walked forward towards her when Cam was showered in a spray of blood.

She opened her eyes to the sound of a thud on the floor as the second man lay dead on the ground, a shot thru his neck.

The sound of gunfire caused the driver to freeze a second long enough for Booth to poke him in the eye, causing an instant reaction for him to grab at his eyes. Booth grabbed the wheel with one hand and put a sleeper hold on the man with the other. Soon he was unconscious on the floor, Booth having slid him out of the driver's seat and took the place himself.

"How are we doing back there?" Booth shouted to Cam. He had seen in the rearview mirror the second man flop to the ground so he figured Cam shot him.

Cam blinked again to clear her mind. _Did Booth shoot him? He seemed pretty busy. _The sound of the vitals alarmed was increasing again and Cam found her balance and got off the floor. As soon as she did she saw Sweets sitting up on an elbow, her gun in his hand.

"Sweets!" Cam said coming to his side and easing him back on the gurney.

"Are you okay?" He asked, eyes bloodshot and exhausted but full of worry. "I didn't get you did I….I…."

"No, you didn't get me, you got him. Thanks." Cam said smiling at him. He still wanted to sit up to see. "Trust me you got him. Good shot by the way, why did you aim for the neck?"

"I was aiming for his head." Sweets said in defeat. "I didn't want to take the chance he would…."

"It's good all the same." Cam said but was alarmed at the shaking with Sweets hands. The alarm was increasing again. Cam knew more meds wasn't going to replace the fact that Sweets was in serious need of blood having lost so much.

"Booth, how are we doing?" Cam asked

"Back on course, there in ten minutes says this GPS thing here."

Cam looked back at Sweets. "We need for that to be sooner than later."

Booth slammed on the accelerator. He hadn't looked back, but he didn't need to, he heard the alarm.

* * *

><p>"Where do you suppose they are?" Brennan asked standing at the entrance to the emergency room.<p>

"This isn't right, we shouldn't have beat them here." Arastoo said as they all nervously paced.

"This is the right place right?" Hodgins asked. His phone was buzzing wildly with Angela wanting more updates. He hadn't wanted to tell her the ambulance with three of their dearest friends were missing.

"Something's wrong." Genevieve said. "You got everyone right?"

"Yeah, they rounded up all the people, wait, do you think.." Hodgins said to Genevieve.

"I don't understand, what do you mean?" Brennan asked.

"It's a long story Dr. Brennan but there are…" Arastoo began but an ambulance was approaching – announced by its horn in addition to the lights.

"That's some crazy driving." Hodgins said feeling the need to move everyone safely out of the way.

The ambulance slammed to a stop and the team ran to the back, medical help in tow. Hodgins opened the back door only to be welcomed by a body that rolled out the back and doors covered in blood.

"What the _hell _happened in this ambulance?!" He asked.

Cam ignored the blood, body and questions and pulled the gurney towards the doors. The medics stepped forward to help her and sensed her distress. Booth rounded the corner from the driver's side.

"We've got a problem." Booth said. "Someone's still out there working."

"This was them?" Genevieve asked in a near panic. She thought she had no reason to worry anymore.

Booth approached her. "You have to know something more."

"Honestly I don't." She said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Right now I've got a bigger problem." Cam said pushing them out of her way. "I need a defibrillator now!"

Booth felt enraged as the medics rushed the gurney inside at a running rate he had seen few make. His knuckles were past white as they disappeared inside and he heard a groaning sound from the front of the ambulance. Booth was sure he was in the right mood to get questions from someone.

* * *

><p><em>Did you think we were almost done? Just a little more...<em>


	19. Chapter 19

19.

_Okay, no more teasing, perhaps an end in sight… besides I know officially have **four** new Sweets stories in mind. So much peril, so many story ideas, and all unique too… And I simply MUST give LovelyLancelot something to read. :) Love the reviews that I simply must write more!_

* * *

><p>"How is he?" Brennan asked first when Cam stepped out into the waiting area.<p>

Hodgins had his hand firmly on his cell phone having received an ass chewing from Angela via cell phone for not hearing sooner. He had called to say he was fine but at that time Sweets was missing. He tried to explain he hadn't had a moment to call but it didn't matter much to Angela who was worried. Despite an exhausted toddler she was on her way to the hospital anyway.

"Well." Cam said with a big smile. The group collectively sighed. "One shock got the irregularity back, the blood transfusion is going well. He's conscious though he's not entirely coherent but that is all still good."

"What about the injuries?" Arastoo asked.

"They are treating them all one at a time. The hook luckily missed the main points, the rest is being treated and he is looking really good." Cam promised. "Once they get him stitched up and all we can visit. It's late but I'm sure no one really wants to go home."

"That's an understatement." Genevieve said biting the last of her pretty nails off. She emanated nervousness.

"Genevieve," Cam said  
>walking close to her. "I promise we won't let anything happen to you okay?"<p>

Genevieve looked up with tear filled eyes. "You saw what they did to my father, what they did to your partner, what they almost did to the rest of you…"

"Yeah but Booth is on it." Hodgins said. "Where is he anyway?"

* * *

><p>"You know, I've got all night." Booth said punching the driver in the face again. "And you see, no one knows you're missing, I can get rid of you pretty quick."<p>

"I thought you were a federal agent." The driver said who was bleeding from his nose and lip.

"Sometimes, but right now I'm just severely pissed off." Booth said. "And I'd like to know who sent you the order."

The man was getting tired and confused now. Booth had him in the small custodial closet at the hospital for a good while now and had used several invasive interrogation techniques to get him to talk. At this point Booth knew enough of the case to know they were bordering on a National Security issue. Booth messed with the lights more causing the man's aching head to get more confused.

"We can get out of here soon, all I need to know is…"

"I don't know!" The man shouted and for the first time it was something different. "I don't know, I just got the orders on voicemail."

"Where's your phone?" Booth asked. The man pointed to his pocket and Booth dialed in, he heard the message. "Okay, you wait here."

"What!? Wait! Don't leave me in here!" The man shouted as Booth locked the door behind him.

Booth texted the location of the man to Booth's friend in the CIA, one of the few people he trusted enough to have his back on this one and keep things quiet until he figured out what was going on.

He found the rest of the team on the recovery floor and was glad they weren't in the intensive care unit.

"How is he?" Booth asked first and foremost.

"He's good." Cam said and noticed the phone in his hand which sported red knuckles. She didn't ask where they came from, she had an idea. "You got a lead?"

"Yeah, well, sort of. He said he got the order via voicemail." Booth said. "It doesn't say much more than to take you and Sweets out." He told her.

"Perhaps Angela can get something from the message." Brennan said. "She's very good at tracking."

"Forget it." Genevieve said now gnawing on her cuticles.

"Let's hear the message." Hodgins said.

Booth played the message on speaker. The rest sighed as it left little clues.

"Play it again." Cam said and Booth obliged having seen her eyes light up with possibility.

"I know that voice." She said. "Where do I know that from?" Cam said again.

"Lumiere, Wittner, Mahaffey, they're all dead." Genevieve said.

"I know, shhhh…." Cam said. "Play it again." Cam said. "His voice, it's so….."

Booth watched as a nurse went by. He eyed the male nurse suspiciously, he then began to eye everyone suspiciously. _What if more of them have orders? How many of them might be out here?_

Booth spoke low to Cam, "No pressure here Cam but it would be great if you could identify the one guy who could possibly call off this hit."

Booth was reaching in his pocket for his own phone. He was calling in for a team of people he could trust to get down here and protect his people.

"One more time." Cam said and Booth replayed the message though was beginning to think Cam was nuts.

"Cocky son of a bitch!" Cam said causing several people to turn and look at her.

"Going to need a name Cam." Booth said anxiously.

"Dean Burkhead, MIT."

Booth pressed the button to make the call. "Yeah, I'm coming, um wait, I should be here." Booth felt torn between catching the bad guy and staying.

"We've got it." Cam said.

"But, if someone comes to harm…."

"We got it." Cam said.

Booth smiled a small smirk, based on what they had been up against they had indeed had it under control.

* * *

><p>"Booth?" Brennan asked as they drove to MIT. "What should we have done differently?"<p>

"What do you mean?" Booth asked driving thru the darkness.

"Well, you saw Sweets, I didn't like seeing him like that." Brennan said, her voice soft.

"Ah." Booth said nodding in understanding. "I've been thinking about that. I'd like to offer him a severe scolding including hours of lectures but the truth is Bones, I'm not all that sure of what I would say. I mean, he kept everyone safe, worked on the case, it's what I would ask of myself."

"I imagine he wanted to be a bit like you, you are a good role model Booth." Brennan said admiringly.

"I don't know if I could take quite all he's been thru." Booth said. "I am going to have to talk to him about that."

"What will you say?"

"I don't know, but I'll come up with something. He can't put himself in _that _much danger."

The conversation ended as the pair arrived at the dark and quiet campus. As they approached the dean's office they saw a desk lamp was on. Booth's gut was right in that he figured he would be there tonight, issuing orders from his ivory tower.

Booth slowly ascended the steps with Brennan in tow. The opened the door to the dean's office as the man spun in his chair.

"What are you people doing here, it's late!" He said angry.

"The question is Dean Burkhead, what are _you _doing here this late?" Booth asked approaching him.

"I'm working, it's what hard working people do." Booth loved how the man insinuated he was the only person who worked. He could see why Cam had called him cocky, despite the fact it was Booth's belt buckle that bore the name.

"Well we are working as well." Brennan reminded him.

"Who are you people?" Burkhead asked now highly annoyed.

"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI and this is Dr. Temperance Brennan with the Jeffersonian institute." Booth explained.

"More FBI and Jeffersonian people." Burkhead whined. "I've got you people coming out my ears. Are you two as annoying as the last two?"

"I hope so." Booth said with a smile. "I'm afraid I am going to have you come into questioning."

"At this hour?" Burkhead asked. "No way."

"It's not a request." Booth explained. "You are wanted in questioning of the attempted murder of an FBI agent…"

"Attempted?" Burkhead asked interrupting.

Booth's eyes narrowed, Burkhead had assumed he had been successful in eliminating Sweets & Cam. His question however wasn't enough to insinuate him.

"What do you know about the conspiracy to commit murder?" Brennan asked him.

"Nothing." Burkhead said crossing his arms.

Booth however was still concerned that until Burkhead called off the hit, Cam & Sweets were still in danger, despite still being in a hospital. Booth had to figure out a way to get the man to call it off and now, not just arrest him.

* * *

><p>A gun shot made Sweets eyes spring open. Cam jumped as Sweets had jumped.<p>

"Sweets what's up? Are you okay?" Cam asked surprised.

Sweets rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Sorry, was dreaming about the ambulance."

"Thank you for saving my life." Cam said smiling down at him.

"I guess we're even then." Sweets said recalling Booth having said Cam had shot Wittner. "How is everyone?" Sweets said seeing Genevieve resting in the chair next to Arastoo who was also resting. "Everyone okay?"

"Pretty much. Hodgins is waiting for Angela, she wanted to come. Booth & Brennan went after Dean Burkhead, it seems he is the one who put out the hit on us." Cam explained. Sweets nodded but he could tell by her tone that there was something more.

"What else is going on?" Sweets asked and Cam appreciated she couldn't get much by him.

"If the hit is still out we may not be safe." Cam said keeping an eye over her shoulder.

Sweets nodded thinking of the possibilities of being infected with a poisoned IV bag, shot, just about anything from what they would presume were trusted medical professionals. Suddenly Sweets didn't want to be at the hospital.

"Has the bleeding stopped?" Sweets asked of his shoulder. Cam nodded that it had. "Are my vitals okay?"

"They are satisfactory yes." Cam said.

"Okay good." Sweets said throwing back the covers. "Let's go then."

"Sweets, what are you doing?" Cam asked trying to push him back on the bed. He was moving stiffly but surprisingly spry. "I've kept an eye out, I think we are okay."

Sweets promptly issued her a now famous 'really' glance.

"Well, mostly okay, I mean there could be gaps…" Cam said losing her confidence. "Yeah okay let's get out of here, I'm not really comfortable here either. Too many people know we are here."

Sweets was sitting up but noticed a draft in the back of his gown. Cam tapped Arastoo's foot as his eyes fluttered open.

"Are we going? Did they discharge Dr. Sweets?" He asked as Genevieve began to stir as well.

Cam and Sweets looked to each other wondering what to tell Arastoo, the truth or a version of it.

"Yes." They lied in unison.

"But we're going to need some clothes." Cam observed. "Arastoo could you see if you might appropriate some?"

"Sure." Arastoo said leaving.

Cam waited until he left to begin work on removing Sweets' IV.

"He's not officially discharged is he?" Genevieve asked witnessing the 'do it yourself' medical treatment.

"There shouldn't be anything keeping Dr. Sweets here except for paper work." Cam explained. "I'm confident we can care for him plus if they think he is still here we will be doing much better that way."

"I'm not going to argue with that." Genevieve said still nervous about them finding them.

Arastoo returned with a pair of scrub pants and shirt he had 'borrowed' from the closet.

"Did the nurse already remove the IV?" He asked surprised how fast it was done.

"Yep." Cam said not wishing to lie to Arastoo's face.

Arastoo let out a sigh and aided in helping Sweets get the gown off. He checked the bandage on Sweets shoulder and was satisfied it was okay. Cam though was far more anxious in getting them out of there. Genevieve was standing on the lookout making sure no one would come in and ask dozens of questions or insist they stay. They needed the illusion that Sweets was still there to stick for a while.

"Okay, so how are we getting him out of here with no one asking questions?" Genevieve asked.

"Well I had a _feeling _this wasn't completely on the level." Arastoo said grabbing the last item he had taken from the closet and handed Sweets the white doctor's coat.

"What about Cam, we can't really let them see her leaving either." Sweets pointed out.

Arastoo left and returned shortly with a wheelchair. He motioned for Cam to sit down in it and wrapped one of the bed blankets around her. He took a roll of white gauze from the tray used previously to wrap Sweets shoulder and wrapped it around her head and eyes to disguise her appearance.

"Um, Arastoo, I can't see." Cam pointed out.

"Yes my love, don't make me cover your mouth too." Arastoo whispered in her ear. "I think Genevieve and I should leave first, then you can push your _patient _out."

They nodded and left, Sweets counting to ten and then proceeding out in the hall too. The pair made it down the hall but as they awaited the elevator they were approached by a nurse.

"Doctor!" The nurse shouted.

"We need your help."

_Oh shit _Cam and Sweets both said under their breath.

"I should really see this patient to her next, uh, part of her uh, stay." Sweets said stumbling over his words.

"I can do that, we really need some help in here." The nurse said and began to suspect something was up.

"Um yes, of course." Sweets said. "But I've been taking care of this patient, I would like to bring her with me."

"Right this way doctor."

Sweets followed the nurse down the hall and wondered if they had secretly been caught but he kept his cool. Cam literally was in the dark.

"What do we have?" Sweets asked as they entered the room of his "patient."

"She's having an irregular heartbeat doctor. We can't seem to stabilize it." The nurse informed her and handed him the women's chart.

Sweets began to look them over and Cam worried for this woman's safety if they should blow their cover.

"I see." Sweets said looking it over but he noticed the woman's husband looking at him closely. "Is there a problem sir?" Sweets asked trying to swallow his nerves.

"What happened to your face doc?" The man asked and Sweets recalled his recent brawl that was still highly evident on his face and hands.

"Ah, that, well, some people just won't pay their bill!" Sweets added a laugh but everyone only continued to stare at him. Sweets cleared his throat. "No, it's just that I was…." Sweets searched for a reason for his injuries as they were still staring at him. "I was….. in the amazon….. over break, and I ….uh….met an animal poacher…and I'm not for that…."

Sweets must have known how stupid he sounded as even Cam tilted her head in what she hoped was the direction he was talking. She knew Sweets was a bad liar but apparently under pressure he lacked a good imagination as well.

"Any hoo." Sweets said looking back at the chart. "Does your wife suffer from bouts of depression?"

Cam wondered where that came from but kept quiet. She had faith in Sweets up to this point she was going to extend that until she had reason not to.

"Yes, and anxiety as well." The husband explained.

"Has she been seeing a therapist?" Sweets asked and Cam wondered if he was soliciting people into the world of psychology.

"No, she wanted to but I thought it was all a bunch of hooey." The husband said partially explained.

"Yes. Well, sometimes it is, depends on your outlook, the therapist." Sweets explained.

"Will that help my wife?" The husband asked nervously.

"With the anxiety and depression." Sweets explained. "It may be placing undue pressure on her heart. From the readings here I'm thinking we are looking at heart palpitations. I would recommend attaching a monitor and administering 50cc's of absopin every hour until it stabilizes. Then she should see a cardiologist."

Sweets head tilted again at the extensiveness of Sweets diagnosis. She kept quiet still.

"Thank you doctor." The nurse said. "Just sign the orders here."

Sweets looked at the papers and gave his best typical illegible doctor signature and nodded to the husband that things were going to be okay.

"Doctor what is your name, I need to add it to the form." The nurse said still writing.

Cam and Sweets froze. Sweets was going to say 'John Smith' but he thought she might immediately know there was no one there by that name.

"Doctor!" Cam shouted offering a diversion. "Doctor! I can see the light!" Cam shouted.

The room filled with panic as the woman in the wheelchair with the gauze over her eyes began to panic.

"Doctor! Oh! It hurts!" Cam shouted again giving them immediate reason to leave.

"Yes, I must get her out of here now." Sweets said wheeling her towards the door.

"Doctor I just need a name." The nurse said again.

"Ahh!" Cam began to scream and Sweets made it to the elevator in time for the doors to close behind him.

He sighed as the door closed.

"Are we…" Cam began to say but Sweets tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes, we are still here Ms. Smith." Sweets said and Cam knew they were not alone in the elevator.

"Oh thank you doctor." Cam said playing along.

"Is your patient okay?" Another man asked Sweets. "She seems to have a lot of bandages."

"Yes, it was a tricky lobotomy." Sweets explained with the first thing that came to his mind. "But she seems to be coming along just fine."

"Oh, I wasn't aware they did such a complicated procedure here at County General." The man said. Cam was sure they were busted.

"No, no of course not." Sweets said trying not to blush as this terrible lying with imagination inabilities. "She was brought back here after that to look at….her…ears…for an infection…"

"And her eyes are bandaged because?" The man asked suspicious.

Sweets mind searched for an answer. "She doesn't like to watch the procedure."

The bell dinged that they had arrived at the first floor and Sweets quickly exited before anyone could ask questions. He was more than sure they had alerted several people at this point and preferred to get to the car sooner than later.

"What took you guys so long?" Arastoo asked at the door where Angela & Hodgins were waiting in their minivan in the drive.

"I guess it was my **_lobotomy!_**" Cam said stepping into the car with Arastoo's help.

"It was the first came to my mind." Sweets said following her in.

"That I needed a lobotomy?" Cam asked.

"It seemed appropriate yes." Sweets said as Arastoo pulled the door shut behind him.

Sweets and Cam sat in the back, one on each side of Michael Vincent who was sleeping soundly, then Arastoo & Genevieve in the next row with Angela driving and Hodgins in the passenger seat.

"Where to now?" Hodgins asked.

They all looked to the back where Cam was pulling off her faux bandages.

"Let's go to the Hoover building." Sweets suggested. "It's got to be safe there."

"Right, and we haven't blown up _your _place of work yet." Cam added sarcastically.

"We'll get the lab fixed." Sweets promised. "Everything will go back to how it was before."

Cam thought about Sweets last statement and she wondered if that was what she really wanted, things to go back like they were where Booth & Brennan did all the field work. Despite the explosion at the lab, two dead suspects, four near death experiences and two kidnappings of a federal agent she rather liked working a case with Sweets.

"We still need to help those sailors at Davenport." Cam reminded him, glad there was something left for them to do together.

"We won't forget them." Sweets reminded her when her cell phone rang.

"Cam." Booth said on the other end of the line. "We need some help."

"You're not the only one, I just got finished with my lobotomy." Cam said and Sweets rolled his eyes and mouthed "_I'm sorry!"_

"You _really _have to tell me more about this case Camille." Booth said half threatening. "Okay we have Burkhead here and I'm holding him but it's weak. I need him to confess to charge him with something."

"You're at the FBI building?" Cam asked.

"Yes, where else?" Booth asked tired and grumpy.

"We're on our way there now." Cam explained. "We can help."

Booth rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Cam, when you say _we _please tell me you're not telling me what I think you're telling me."

"Uhhhh….." Came the long pause from Cam.

"Sweets is with you and not at the hospital isn't he?" Booth asked feeling a headache coming on. "Because I'm pretty sure the last time I saw Sweets he looked like death."

"Ouch." Sweets said having overheard. "Do I look that bad?" He asked Arastoo.

Arastoo felt his own headache coming on.

"Look, it's not safe in the hospital, and we're all together." Cam explained. "Besides Sweets suggested that the FBI building would be the safest place right now anyway, and look! We're here." Cam said and hung up.

"Oh, he's going to be pissed about that." Angela said turning off the car.

"I'll just blame it on my brain injury." Cam said getting out.

* * *

><p>"You." Booth said pointing to Cam as the group made their way down the hall. "Hung up on me."<p>

"Oh did I?" Cam asked playing dumb. "I thought we were done because we were here, safe and sound."

"And you!" Booth said pointing to Sweets. "When did you become a doctor?" He asked getting distracted with the clothes.

"Technically Booth I have two doctorates, making me a doctor." Sweets explained.

"No like a real doctor." Booth clarified.

"I am right here right?" Sweets asked Cam as his feelings were obviously hurt as he covered it with sarcasm.

"Which by the way, how did you diagnose that lady?" Cam asked.

Sweets shrugged. "Maybe I've considered becoming a doctor. I did pass my preliminary exams."

"Why didn't you pursue it then?" Cam asked.

Sweets smiled and looked at Booth. "I got pretty busy working cases with this agent at the FBI." He looked back at Cam. "The doctor thing took a back seat."

"Oh, I uh, didn't know that Sweets." Booth said realizing the change in career path Sweets had obviously taken. "You should you know…"

"This has been far more fulfilling." Sweets explained putting a stop to where Booth was going.

"Well I didn't mean that about your doctor thing." Booth said in the form of an apology. "You're still smarter than me."

Sweets offered him a smile. "Not about everything." Sweets said and they began to head to the interrogation room.

"What don't you know smarty pants?" Booth asked.

"Apparently how to get thru a case without so many injuries." Sweets joked.

"Yes, and that's going to be along conversation later." Booth warned. "But first I don't know how to crack this guy. He's not talking and I barely know anything about this case."

The group stood in the interrogation booth with Booth and Brennan.

"And the deputy director is on his way too with a lot of questions." Booth warned. "If possible we want answers before he has a lot of questions."

Sweets looked at Cam. "Remember how Burkhead never answered as about Bamsatt?"

"Who's Bamsatt?" Booth asked.

"Mahaffey." Hodgins answered.

"Who's Mahaffey?" Booth asked.

"One of the dead guys at the shipyards." Arastoo added.

"I still have no idea what the hell is going on." Booth said rubbing his head.

"What were you saying Sweets?" Cam asked.

"Burkhead said he had no idea who Bamsatt was, which of course we knew was a lie, why do you think he lied about that?" Sweets pondered.

"Bamsatt was a former soldier with the Soviet Union." Hodgins reminded them.

"But Mahaffey was a devout US citizen." Cam reminded them. "Remember how he didn't want to kill Sweets, or I because we are Americans?"

"What I know of Mahaffey is that while his methods were deplorable, he did believe he was working for a good cause." Genevieve said clearing her throat. "My father said one time he was unsure if his work was for good or for evil, no matter the country."

"Einstein would later say the same about the atom bomb." Hodgins recalled.

"We may not know why Mahaffey or Bamsatt came to this country but he must have wanted to leave his past behind him." Cam figured.

"But one thing is clear." Sweets said, a smile creeping across his face, Cam loved when it did that, it meant he had an idea. "Burkhead knew Bamsatt _and _Mahaffey."

"You're right." Cam said coming to the realization. "You knew he lied when he said he hadn't."

"If this Burkhead was covering for him then you suspect he knows quite a bit more?" Brennan asked trying to follow along.

"Mahaffey was the visionary, but thinking now, this wasn't a government backed project was it? At least not entirely anyway." Cam reasoned.

"Which means that Burkhead was most likely funding the whole thing, maybe with MIT money, maybe with some private investors." Sweets said.

"Some private foreign investors." Cam clarified.

"It depended on who paid the most – which is why Wittner had to wait to take out Mahaffey, not just to find out if it worked but to see who was going to pay the most." Cam realized.

"Mahaffey was the result of a bidding war." Hodgins said realizing the sadness of it all.

"I think this was about a lot of things, not just money." Sweets said making everyone silent for a moment as they thought of the long case.

"Okay, that's great guys." Booth said breaking the silence. "But it sounds like we're 'pretty sure' about this, we need something to throw at this guy."

Cam smiled. "Throw them Sweets."

Booth meant something to give him to take into the interrogation room.

"Yeah, Sweets started this thing." Hodgins said. "If the can stand up long enough he should see it thru." Hodgins added a light shoulder punch to illustrate his point.

Sweets looked at Booth who nodded for him to go in. Sweets headed out the door and towards the interrogation room but while they had faith in him, he wasn't exactly sure how he was going to pull this off.

* * *

><p><em>Was that a good place to stop? ;) Well the long ass car ride had to end sometimes. More soon though.<em>


	20. Chapter 20

20.

_Sorry for the delay, we are closing on a house, packing, setting up utilities, changing address. I know fanfiction is way more important though right? I know, I know. And now I have a fifth idea for a story. Better get this one finished eh?_

_Wesley, are you back from break yet? __:) sdlovespandf thank you for sticking with me on this one. And lovely, always enjoy writing for you, hope you enjoy the end.  
><em>

**_SO _**_grateful & thankful to all those who have reviewed and favorited!_

* * *

><p>Sweets opened the door with his file folder and sat down.<p>

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Sweets said as he slid into the chair.

"No you're not." Burkhead said. "What's with the scrubs?" Burkhead looked over the injuries carefully. Sweets could feel the man's eyes on him.

"You are aware that Wittner & Mahaffey are dead, yes?" Sweets asked.

"Who are they?" Burkhead responded.

_That's a yes _Sweets thought reading the man's reactions. He knew Burkhead was looking him over, trying to figure out just how close Wittner had come to killing him. Each reaction to a question or how he looked at him gave Sweets an idea of what made the man tick.

"Right, you don't know the man who worked for you, well, men really." Sweets said again.

"Young man are you going to be as impetuous now as you were in my office?" Burkhead asked.

"Perhaps." Sweets flipped thru some pages he had in front of him. They were blank pages in a plain manila folder but Sweets poker face was holding up pretty well as he flipped thru them. He knew Caroline Julian was trying to dig up what she could but they had little time to wait for her to dig up papers, Sweets had to get the man to slip up somehow.

"What surprises me though is how you have divided up the funds to each of your departments. This one, the experimental sciences, has such a large budget." Sweets said reading his fake papers. He had no access to such things just yet and had no way to get them even if he did ask so he would try to smoke out the man for now.

"As compared to what other departments? The English department?" Dean Burkhead laughed.

"Right, funding the arts is always a source for humor." Sweets said sarcastically. "Why though put so much money towards the experimental sciences. Did they have a project they were working on that required a larger allotment?"

Burkhead was trying not to fidget in his seat. "They work on many projects. I can't think of any in particular."

Sweets figured Caroline could get some information on their programs, some of that information would be public, but it would all take time - they were running out of time.

"Right, you don't interact with people much. I remember now." Sweets said jogging his papers. _How do I get this guy, why did he pick Mahaffey, wait how did he know him?_ "Tell me, what did you do before you were dean at MIT?"

Cam had an idea on where Sweets was going and ushered Angela to a computer to look.

"Sweets," Cam said over the ear piece. "We're looking that up now."

"Oh I worked a little here and there." Burkhead said vaguely.

"Damn Sweets good guess, he was working in the Soviet Union." Cam reported.

"You knew Bamsatt from the Soviet Union, didn't you?" Sweets asked.

Burkhead let a small smile slip as he looked to the glass. "Help from your friends?"

"I don't mind help from friends." Sweets said. "But you got help from friends, didn't you?"

Caroline Julian barreled into the room where the others were waiting. "No luck Cherie. No judge is going to give me papers on this guy. Not unless your questioning brings about something soon we have to let him go." Caroline looked thru the glass more closely when she saw someone in the interrogation room with scrubs on.

"Who is the Sam hell is that?" She asked and blinked. "Is that Sweets? Why the hell does he look so awful? Did he get run over with a truck or something?"

"Not yet." Cam said. "Sweets, Caroline is here, no pressure but we need something or we have to let him go."

"Your friend is telling you that you have to come up with something or I'm free." Burkhead said with a big confident smile. "I guess I'll be going now."

"Just a couple more questions." Sweets stopping the man from standing. "You don't want it to get out that you were an uncooperative person. That kind of thing at such a tight knit group like MIT could be damaging."

Burkhead smiled and sat back down. "A few more minutes then. It won't matter - you have nothing. Unless your friends have more ideas for you."

Sweets took the ear piece out of his ear.

"What's he doing?" Booth asked nervously.

"It's just you and me." Sweets said.

Burkhead looked at him as though it were a challenge. "What should we talk about?"

Sweets grinned as an idea came to mind. "Do you like chess?"

"Doesn't everyone?" Burkhead asked.

"I will offer you a deal." Sweets said sitting forward and crossing his hands. "One game of chess, if you win, you walk, if I win, you answer my questions."

"What's he doing?" Booth asked losing confidence.

Burkhead oozed with confidence. "Of course. Shall you fetch a chess set?"

"No need." Sweets said closing his eyes for a second and opening them. "I can see it."

"You intend to play the set in mind only?" Burkhead asked.

"Are you not up to it?" Sweets asked.

As Sweets guessed the man was not about to back down. "Of course not." Burkhead said as the two sat at the table looking at each other. "I'll take white."

Sweets nodded in acceptance. He knew Burkhead was not comfortable with the game of blind chess.

"Has Sweets lost his damn mind?" Caroline asked. "Playing games?!"

"Sweets is an excellent chess player." Brennan reminded her.

"He has a plan." Cam assured her.

"I'm not denying the boy is smart." Caroline said in her usual swagger. "I'm just concerned about him playing a chess game in his mind when he looks his body, as well as his head has been run thru a ringer a few times in the last couple of days."

"Knight F3." Burkhead announced. "You don't think you'll win this do you? I'm twice your age and three times as smart."

"That's a great deal of math." Sweets teased. "Knight to F6. You must have known that we would have found out about your connection to Bamsatt and the Soviet Union."

"Pawn C4." Burkhead announced. "What about, I travelled there briefly in college. So what?"

"Pawn G6." Sweets countered. "It was more than an visit, you were quite taken by the culture, the ability to rule with an iron fist, unquestioned."

"Knight C3, and?"

"Bishop G7, much like being the dean at MIT."

Burkhead yawned as though unamused. "My connection to a national conspiracy is a visit to Russia years ago? Pawn D4."

Sweets felt like he wasn't getting as far as he hoped, in the game and in the questioning. "Rook to F8, Queen G7."

Burkhead smiled. "You must be nervous Dr. Sweets, protecting your king from attack?" His smile faded. "Bishop F4."

"Pawn D5. I only prefer to make smart moves. I stayed alive this long." Sweets warned.

"Barely." Burkhead said of the chess game and his medical condition. "King B3."

"Pawn DC4."

"King C4, I'll take you pawn Dr. Sweets."

"Pawn C6." Sweets moved.

"Pawn E4." Burkhead countered.

"You went to the Soviet, you met Sargent Bamsatt, found out you had much in common with your reading about the Philadelphia Experiment. When you came back and made friends in the right places, brought Bamsatt over, changed his name. Knight BD7."

"Rook D1 and why would I do that?" Burkhead asked.

"Because you needed someone with far more personality than yourself to get the project off the ground. No offense, but you're quite a bit of an asshole. Knight B6." Sweets moved.

"I can be what I want, I get results. King C5"

"But you weren't getting results, no one wanted to work with you. With Wittner' s position in the CIA he got Bamsatt's named changed to Mahaffey, gave him a position and background, he got the backing for you didn't he? Bishop G4."

"Bishop G5." Burkhead said suddenly wondering if any of this could be traced.

"Knight A4." Sweets continued. "You got MIT money, that we can find, the good thing about colleges is when you start to ask where their money came from and if it was used in government experiments they offer up their books pretty quick. Especially if public money is involved, and government experiments."

"King A3."

"Knight C3, taking your knight." Sweets said sitting up. "Of course I already took your knight didn't I, it hurt to lose Mahaffey."

"Pawn BC2, I'll take your knight Dr. Sweets. Tell me, are many of _your people _expendable?"

"Knight E4."

"Bishop E7, removing your pawn."

"How many sailors were mere pawns in your experiments? King B6." Sweets asked.

Burkhead fidgeted some, he knew the sailors would be found at Davenport, could that be traceable to him he wondered. "Bishop C4."

"Knight C3, removing your pawn." Sweets said.

"Bishop C5." Burkhead countered.

"Rook FE8, we will connect you to these crimes." Sweets promised. "It's quite a long list. The worst would be murder."

"I've murdered no one. Queen F1."

Sweets smiled. "Bishop E6." Burkhead's shot up at the counter attack move, it was fierce, he had not expected it of Sweets. "Perhaps I can find out more from a Patient at Davenport, an MP with the initials, WB?"

Burkhead was obviously shocked not only at Sweets move but his revelation of his knowledge of the patient in question. "Bishop B6." He offered weekly.

"Bishop C4, taking your bishop." Sweets smile was confident, his plan in place.

"Queen G1." Burkhead countered.

Sweets countered back, "Knight E2."

"Queen F1."

"Knight D4." Sweets move.

"Queen G1."

"Knight E2." Sweets moved again.

"Queen F1."

"Knight C3." Sweets looked at Burkhead in the eye. "Exactly where are you going?"

"Queen G1."

"Pawn AB6, taking your Bishop." Sweets said as Burkhead looked to the glass of the two way mirror. "They're not helping me. You see the ear piece there. This is just us. Tell me, why the unknown man, why did he have to die, who was he?"

"King B4."

"Rook A4." Sweets could tell he was wearing the man down, he was distracting him with the game, one slip was all he needed.

"King B6, removing your pawn." Burkhead said though with less reverence than before.

"Knight D1, taking your Rook." Sweets was moving with confidence. "You knew he worked for you, what was his name?"

"Pawn H3." Burkhead answered. "I don't know his name."

"That's a lie, how did you not know? Rook A2, taking your pawn." Sweets ignored the fact that he had just gotten Burkhead to admit he knew the unknown man.

"Queen H2." Burkhead was concentrating on trying to win a game against a kid, Sweets searched for answers in the distraction.

"Knight F2, taking your pawn. He just worked there? I find that hard to believe." Sweets said leaning forward on the table.

Burkhead was concentrating hard on the game in his mind, trying to see all the pieces in play. "Rook E1." He offered.

"It's working." Brennan said observing. "He can't concentrate on the game and the questions at the same time."

"Yeah but how is Sweets?" Angela asked.

"Boy genius." Hodgins said admiringly.

"Rook E1, take Rook." Sweets ordered.

"King D8." Burkhead said.

"Bishop F8." Sweets said trying to control his patience, play a mental master game of chess and stave off the desire to pass out. "He worked in the experimental sciences didn't he?"

"Yes of course where do you think he worked in the world history department? I never talked to him, he was weird and kept to himself. Knight E1, take Rook!" Burkhead said excitedly.

The distraction still working Sweets pressed on. "Bishop D5."

"Knight F3." Burkhead answered.

"Knight E4. Did he associate with anyone?" Sweets asked.

"No he kept to himself, got paid in cash, that took some doing. I didn't care, I wanted him there, doing the work. King B8. Where did you learn chess Dr. Sweets?" Burkhead asked half admiring but mostly in disbelief, he had planned to crush the young man in few moves.

"My father taught me." Sweets said. "Pawn B5." Sweets let the move sink in. Burkhead's eyes jittered in his head as he mentally searched the illusory checkerboard surface.

"What?" Booth asked.

"Sweets has every piece and pawn of the black camp, his side, defended. The white queen has nothing to do."

"Does he win?" Angela asked excited though for imaginary stakes.

"Not yet." Caroline warned.

"How, how did your father teach you? I can't get kids to pay attention in classes. Pawn H4."

"Pawn H5. It was an excellent distraction when I was six."

"Six?" Burkhead asked in disbelief. "Knight E5."

"Queen G7." Sweets said. "Yes. How many people do you have working for you?"

"Queen G1." Burkhead moved, his answers grew more quiet. "Hundreds."

"Bishop G5, how many did we catch on that raid?"

"Queen F1, half." Burkhead said, he knew he was moving his pieces in useless patterns and his demeanor reflected it.

"You will give us the names and call off the hit, won't you? Knight G3."

"Yes." Burkhead answered in a whisper, his mind was elsewhere, defeated.

"He's giving up?" Arastoo asked.

"He is hopelessly entangled in Sweets nest."

"Queen E1."

Sweets moved. "Bishop B4."

"Queen D1." Burkhead motioned with his hand to move the piece.

"Bishop B3."

"Queen C1."

"Knight E2." Sweets continued to move, though they knew where the game was heading.

"Queen B1."

"Knight C3."

"Queen C1."

Sweets smiled. "Rook C2. Mate. Dean Burkhead you are under arrest for the conspiracy to commit murder, a whole list of conspiracy stuff really, actually." Sweets looked to the glass. "Caroline, maybe you can read the list to him?"

"Gladly Cherie." Caroline said heading out of the room though Booth was the first to exit.

Sweets looked to Burkhead who was replaying the game in his mind, wondering where he lost it, still distracted from the fact he had just implicated himself. Sweets smiled though he was exhausted, mentally and physically, relaxing his shoulders he looked down at the table and how inviting a quick nap might be if he only laid his head down a second.

The door opened and Sweets assumed it was Booth coming so he barely raised his head.

"Hey, I didn't know anyone was in here." An agent said opening the door. With his arm on the door his gun was brandished to Burkhead who removed it, pushed the agent back. Sweets looked up to as the agent went to the floor and stood up in reaction. Burkhead pointed the gun at Sweets chest as a gun shot went off.

Sweets looked at the table to see the blood droplets and wondered why it wasn't on the wall behind him. He looked up as Burkhead fell dead on the table in front of him, Booth at the door with his gun.

Sweets looked down to see some splatter but no holes seeping with crimson.

"Sweets are you okay?" Booth asked looking at Sweets chest. "I aimed at an angle, hoping to miss you, I didn't get you did I?"

Sweets shook his head no. He was wide awake now. "No, I'm good."

"You!" Booth said yelling at the agent who was getting off the floor. "What the hell were you thinking?! What are you twelve?" Booth asked the very young agent.

Sweets wanted to tell Booth to give the "kid" a break but he was busy getting the ringing in his ears to stop. He felt tired again.

"How about you sit down Sweets?" Brennan asked.

"I'm fine." Sweets said.

"You are certainly not fine." Brennan countered. "I would in fact suggest there are a number of medical issues that are…"

"Thank you Dr. Brennan." Sweets said cutting her off.

Brennan cleared her throat. "I feel worried, when I look at you. I am glad you are okay."

Sweets smiled at her words. "Thank you Dr. Brennan."

Booth came back in the room. "Okay, I think I got that kid sorted out." Booth looked to the body on the table.

"Just had to shoot someone in this case didn't you?" Sweets asked.

"Couldn't be the only one could I?" Booth asked.

"All I can see Cherie is a shit ton of paper work." Caroline said getting on the phone.

"So I guess the case is over." Cam said.

"Except for one thing." Sweets said.

"I'm not going to understand whatever you are going to say am I?" Booth asked.

"I'll make you a deal Booth, we'll explain the whole case on the way to Davenport." Sweets offered.

"Davenport?" Genevieve asked nervously.

* * *

><p>The early morning sun was rising by the time the cars arrived at Davenport Booth &amp; Brennan felt fully informed about the case though not completely understanding, it was a lot to sink in despite the time it took to get there. Though they were all tired from the busy night, they all wanted to see it thru to the end.<p>

"So why are we at this place again?" Booth asked.

"One last mystery." Sweets explained. "Genevieve, perhaps you can help us find him?"

Genevieve led the way into Davenport, confidently with the assistance of the dozens of agents and officers that were escorting them. Arastoo, Cam, Brennan, Booth, Angela, Hodgins and Sweets followed Genevieve in where she located the limited records. With them all helping they finally located the patient in question, 'William Bellucci, room 210." Genevieve read.

The group made their way past the agents who were rounding up the 'doctors' for questions and figuring out what to do with the multitude of sailors that had supposedly gone MIA.

"What about all these men?" Cam asked as she & Sweets walked ahead of the group who followed them diligently, like they had on the rest of the case, the pair however hardly noticed they had again taken a lead.

"We need to find a way to help them." Sweets said. "You know it bothers me, the clues the unknown man left. Iliaom."

"Yea, the code word for the revised version of the Philadelphia Experiment." Hodgins recalled.

"It was the only clue crossed out." Cam remembered.

"Yes. Why?" Angela pondered.

"I wonder, I wonder if it wasn't important to him anymore." Sweet suggested.

"Maybe this was." Cam said. "Maybe this was more what he died for.

"Yeah but how can we help any of them?" Booth said looking at the mentally lost service men that were in room after room.

"He would have left a clue." Genevieve reminded them.

The group arrived at the room, Military Patrolman William Bellucci sat on the bed, and like the others, he was mentally absent.

"I don't understand." Hodgins said as they filled in the room and looked at the man who was in no way alert.

Sweets looked at the man curiously. Cam wasn't ready to give up either and leaned over to look under the bed. Sweets followed as their eyes met the same object at the same time. Sweets retrieved it and stood up with it.

"What is it?" Booth asked.

"A seventh edition copy of the Rubiyat." Cam explained.

"But that's like that other one, there isn't one, they stopped at the fifth." Angela reminded them.

"Which means this one is special." Cam said.

Sweets flipped it open as it appeared to be a regular edition but upon closer inspection he realized that every other line of the text did not fit.

"What? What is it?" Cam asked with great anticipation.

Sweets looked up and smiled. "It's the answer on how to help these men." He flipped to the back of the book where the words "Taman Shud" appeared again, only this time the words included were, "G, with all my love."

Genevieve's eyes filled with tears from her father's message.

"I would say that is a great last clue." Hodgins said.

"And the real reason he should be remembered by." Genevieve said glad her father would be known for a cure, not a weapon.

The group walked outside where Sweets stretched as the sun rose.

"Well, this is enough for me. I'm going home. To bed." Sweets said heading to the car.

"Wait, so who was the unknown man?" Brennan asked.

"We may never know who the unknown man is, we learned a lot about who we are." Cam said smiling at Sweets.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry, While I wish I did, I know nothing about chess, hope that wasn't too bad. I hope you enjoyed and will check out the next story, or five…or more….<em>


	21. Chapter 21

_Okay so this is not another chapter (I know I suck) but I did want to add a comment on here that I meant to yesterday. So, the chess game was not originally in my story, but as I was trying to figure out a way for Sweets and the guy to have some sort of interesting showdown in the interrogation room. A few of the starts I had didn't work so I was struggling with something. I, like many, loved the Chess episode last season, mainly because Sweets got to be good at something (especially when Booth was not) and yes, I wish the team would have been there in some way to actually have SEEN Sweets shine. So when I go the idea of the chess game, I wanted them behind the glass to watch. Brennan comments since she knows about chess (and what fun it could have been to see her and Sweets do a game!). But anyway, the chess match between Sweets & Burkhead was fun though it did require some research on my part (knowing NOTHING). The game that Sweets & Burkhead play is the 1956 game between 13 year old Bobby Fisher and Donald Byrne known as 'the game of the century.' I thought the youth of the winner (Fisher) was reminiscent of Sweets youth at chess as well._

_The other thing I wanted to mention was that, as I mentioned early on, this story is based on an actual case from 1948 in Australian, the Taman Shud Case. Most of the 'clues' all come from the actual case including the cyphers, the suitcase, the body, the clues, the connection to a son (though here a daughter) etc. However the actual case was never solved so I came up with a version of what all the clues meant. One other thing is that in the actual case, despite all the uniqueness of the unknown man's body, his identity was never found, I felt that in this story any identity would not have lived up to it and since the unknown man was never know (yet), that ours should not either. So thus, our man remains unknown as well._

_Sorry, just wanted to add those few things because I did not intend to take credit on the chess game should you know about chess. I'll have to learn one day._


End file.
